White House pulls Antoni's nomination to head Bureau of Labor Statistics - report

[US Department of Labor]

The White House has withdrawn its nomination of economist E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, _The Wall Street Journal _reported, citing people familiar with the decision.

It's unclear why Antoni's nomination was withdrawn. President Donald Trump is expected [https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/white-house-withdraws-nominee-to-lead-bureau-of-labor-statistics-ceeae242] to nominate a new candidate soon.

Trump nominated Antoni to lead the BLS after the president fired Erika McEntarfer from the role in August over claims that the agency had rigged [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4476816-trump-administration-to-fire-bls-commissioner-after-weak-jobs-report] jobs data.

Antoni, who never in the government before, has often criticized the BLS and is known for his partisan economic commentary. Antoni will continue to serve as chief economist at the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation.

The BLS is currently headed by its deputy commissioner William Wiatrowski on an interim basis. Wiatrowski will likely be the only BLS employee who won't be furloughed during the government shutdown.

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