Statement on E.J. Antoni Nomination for BLS Commissioner

Statement on the Nomination of E.J. Antoni
to Serve as the 17th Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a world-class 141-year-old institution, is at a crucial crossroad. Stakeholders inside and outside of BLS recognize its long-standing need to modernize key statistical products to prevent erosion in quality. Compounding the problem, since January 2025, the Bureau has lost twenty percent of its staff, from novice to expert levels (including a third of its leaders), which has crippled its ability to sustain key statistical products and innovate for the future statistical needs of the US economy. In addition, the unwarranted dismissal of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the 16th Commissioner of Labor Statistics, and the baseless characterization of BLS employment estimates as “fake” and “rigged” have undermined public trust in the Bureau’s integrity and the usefulness of its statistics.

BLS now also faces the additional challenge of a contentious debate over the nominee for the next Commissioner, Dr. E.J. Antoni. It is hard to imagine a more important nomination and confirmation process in the history of the Bureau. The next Commissioner must not only manage the difficult responsibilities inherent to the role, but also restore public trust, defend the agency against political interference, and accelerate critical modernization efforts across all programs.

These unusually fraught circumstances mean that the Senate’s upcoming advice and consent responsibilities could be the most consequential ever for the BLS. We, the Friends of BLS, are working every day for the success of the Bureau, and that mission depends mightily on the leadership of the Commissioner. Given the unique parameters surrounding this nomination and the crossroads at which the Bureau now stands, the Friends urge the Senate to conduct a thorough and timely review of Dr. Antoni’s qualifications, as it has every preceding Commissioner.

No nominee will have every desirable characteristic, but we urge the Senate Health, Education, Pensions, and Labor Committee to examine the candidate’s suitability using the following time-tested criteria, which are designed to maintain and strengthen trust in BLS’s work. We encourage the Senate to assess whether it believes the nominee has:

· Strong management experience,

· Deep expertise in economic statistics and the respect of other experts,

· Extensive engagement with the federal statistical agencies and particularly with BLS,

· Understanding of BLS products and broader relevance,

· Visibility in the statistical community, and

· The ability to interact effectively with both Congress and senior Department of Labor staff.

In order to ensure the public’s trust in BLS products and BLS’s compliance with the requirements of the 2019 Evidence Act—to produce relevant, timely, credible, accurate, and objective statistics—it is imperative that a nominee:

· Have a record of understanding that trust and data integrity are mission-critical for BLS;

· Publicly promise to honor and defend the statistical integrity of BLS products as well as the safeguards in place to that end; and

· Commit to follow the National Academies’ Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency.

The nominee and the nation deserve both a rigorous and rapid confirmation process. By following these time-tested, nonpolitical guidelines, working thoroughly and transparently, and considering the Bureau’s restoration and future, the Senate can help restore public trust in the Bureau’s work. If the next Commissioner passes through confirmation with these principles affirmed, then the success of the BLS in coming years will be vastly more likely.

The Friends of BLS Co-Chairs: William Beach, Erica L. Groshen, Paul Schroeder

The Friends of BLS Steering Committee Members: Tom Beers, Mary Jo Mitchell, Demetra Nightingale, Steve Pierson, Ken Poole, Aaron Sojourner