Who Is E J Antoni? Trump's New Pick To Lead Bureau Of Labor Statistics

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump nominated economist E J Antoni as the new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner on Monday. The BLS is the primary federal agency responsible for collecting and reporting key economic data, including employment, wages and inflation figures.

Antoni's nomination comes just ten days after Trump fired the statistics agency's previous leader, chosen by former President Joe Biden, Erica McEntarfer, over a "rigged" jobs report, following a weak US job market report for July.

"Our Economy is booming, and EJ will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST and ACCURATE," Trump said on Truth Social.

New roles and responsibilities

Trump praised Antoni on Truth Social, calling him“highly respected” and committed to ensuring“honest and accurate” economic data . Antoni currently serves as the chief economist at the influential US conservative think tank Heritage Foundation.

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If confirmed by the Senate, Antoni will lead BLS, which is an agency within the Department of Labor, and will be in charge of leading over 2,000 staff at the agency, as per official BLS data. The agency's monthly inflation data is under close scrutiny after the removal of Erica McEntarfer, reported Reuters.

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Antoni will oversee the production of key economic data that is closely watched by economists, investors, business leaders, public policymakers and consumers. The agency's monthly reports on the US job market and inflation have a visible and real-time effect on stock, bond and currency markets around the world.

All about Antoni

Antoni has frequently appeared on US media outlets to critique inflation trends and advocate for conservative economic strategies .

In his post, Trump described the US economy as“booming” and expressed confidence that Antoni would“do an incredible job” in his new role.

He holds a master's and doctoral degrees in Economics from Northern Illinois University, west of Chicago and has been associated with the Heritage Foundation for over three years.

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He has also worked with organisations such as FreedomWorks, Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Committee to Unleash Prosperity, where he spent around five years as a senior research fellow.

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