Trump’s controversial nominee drops bid to head vital data-gathering agency

President Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics has withdrawn after widespread criticism that he was too partisan and inexperienced to hold such an important role in government.

A White House official confirmed the move, saying Trump would name a replacement for nominee E.J. Antoni “very soon.”

The BLS produces some of the government’s most closely-watched economic reports, including monthly updates on jobs and inflation. All of its reports are on hold for now until the government shutdown is resolved.

Trump had tapped Antoni to lead the bureau in August after abruptly firing the previous BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer, over a disappointing jobs report. The president claimed that the jobs numbers had been manipulated to embarrass him, although he offered no evidence to support that, and the claim was dismissed by independent observers.

Antoni’s nomination was widely criticized

Antoni’s selection was praised by Trump loyalists like Stephen Moore and Steve Bannon. But it was roundly criticized by even conservative economists. Opponents said Antoni — who has spent most of his career at right-wing think tanks — lacked the expertise in statistical number crunching that’s typical of previous BLS commissioners.

A group of BLS supporters issued a statement Tuesday urging the president to choose a new nominee with a technical and non-partisan background.

“We believe the next nominee should demonstrate a commitment to gold standard statistics, strong management skills, excellent economics training, and a record of public support for the integrity of BLS products and standards,” the Friends of the BLS said.

The group acknowledged a need to modernize the government’s data gathering processes, which have been hampered by falling survey response rates. In addition, the BLS has lost about 20% of its workforce since the beginning of the year as part of the Trump administration’s widespread government job cuts. That’s forced the bureau to scale back the number of price checks it conducts each month in compiling the inflation report.

The Heritage Foundation, where Antoni serves as chief economist, defended his outspoken criticism of the BLS.

“Dr. E.J. Antoni continues to be one of the sharpest economic minds in the country,” said Heritage president Kevin Roberts. “We are very proud to have him on our team.”