Trump Picks Critic to Run Bureau of Labor Statistics

President Trump has turned to the Heritage Foundation for an ally to oversee the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after accusing the last commissioner without evidence of manipulating jobs report data and firing her. EJ Antoni, chief economist at the foundation and a Project 2025 contributor, has been a staunch critic of the BLS, the Washington Post reports. He had called for ousting Commissioner Erika McEntarfer hours before Trump announced that decision on Aug. 1, per the Wall Street Journal. Calling him a highly respected economist, Trump posted Monday on Truth Social that "EJ will ensure that the Numbers released are HONEST AND ACCURATE."

On Tuesday, the independent agency is scheduled to release its latest data on inflation. The report is forecast to show that consumer prices rose in July for the third straight month as tariffs drove up the cost of many imported goods, per the AP. "Our Economy is booming," Trump wrote in his post, per CNBC. The appointment of Antoni, who has assailed the bureau's data for the past year, is subject to Senate confirmation.