"Catch up quick: President Trump nominated Antoni, an economist at the Heritage Foundation, for the BLS role in mid-August. He was picked 10 days after the president fired Erika McEntarfer, the former BLS commissioner, following a jobs report with massive revisions that showed the labor market was weaker than first thought. The statistics agency is housed within the Department of Labor."
"The intrigue: Antoni immediately sparked controversy with a suggestion that the jobs report be suspended until issues at the statistics agency could be fixed. Antoni also faced tough odds in the Senate, with votes from Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) - frequent Trump critics - needed for him to clear a key confirmation hurdle. CNN reported earlier this month that Antoni was behind a social media account that posted derogatory remarks about gay people, attacked former Vice President Kamala Harris"
President Trump nominated Antoni for the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner post in mid-August, ten days after firing former BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a jobs report showed the labor market was weaker than first thought. The nomination raised fears of politicizing the agency that issues jobs and inflation data after Antoni suggested suspending the jobs report until internal problems were fixed. The nomination faced Senate obstacles, with votes from Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski needed for confirmation. Reports tied Antoni to a social media account posting derogatory remarks about gay people and promoting conspiracy theories. News of the withdrawal was first reported by CNN and AP.
Read at Axios
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