President Donald Trump on Monday, Aug. 11, said he will nominate E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, to serve as commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The appointment, which is subject to Senate confirmation, would give the 39-year-old economist a four-year term atop the Labor Department agency that publishes closely watched employment and inflation indicators. The move comes just 10 days after Trump abruptly fired commissioner Erika McEntarfer, hours after the BLS reported that U.S. employers added only 73,000 jobs in July and revised May and June payroll growth down by a combined 258,000 positions. Trump accused McEntarfer—without providing evidence—of manipulating data to hurt his administration, pledging that her successor would ensure figures are “honest and accurate.” Antoni is a longtime critic of the BLS, has questioned its survey methods and revisions, and contributed to the conservative Project 2025 blueprint that calls for reshaping federal agencies. In recent commentary he has advocated a “top-to-bottom” review of data collection and suggested suspending the monthly jobs release until methodological changes are made. Economists and policy groups are divided over the choice. RSM US’s Joe Brusuelas warned the pick could spur demand for private alternatives to government data, while former Obama adviser Jason Furman called Antoni “completely unqualified.” Supporters such as Heritage Foundation colleagues say he would increase transparency. The nomination renews debate over the traditionally non-partisan agency’s independence and the reliability of statistics that guide the Federal Reserve, investors and businesses worldwide.