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ANTONI e j econ

MERRI OK

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in jan 6 crowd

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GGL 6 26

AI Overview

Dr. E.J. Antoni is an economist and research fellow known for his work in fiscal and monetary policy, often discussing these topics in media. While there are no public records verifying his affiliation with the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) or a "Koch IHS Humane Scholarship," he has been associated with the Institute for Humane Studies, the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, and The Heritage Foundation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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6 26 NO TALK E.J. Antoni - Wikipedia

Erwin John Antoni III (born October 1987) is an American economist. Since May 2025, he is the chief economist for The Heritage Foundation.

Antoni contributed to Project 2025. In August 2025, Donald Trump nominated Antoni as Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, after having fired Erika McEntarfer; facing criticism across the political spectrum, he withdrew the nomination in September.

Antoni is a frequent commentator on Fox channels.

Early life and education

Erwin John Antoni III[1] was born in October 1987.[2][failed ^verification] He graduated from Lansdale Catholic in 2006,[3] and from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts.[4] He was enrolled at the seminary until 2012, and after six years of study Antoni left before completing the program, without achieving ordination into the ministerial priesthood.[5] He then graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Master of Arts[4] and later a doctorate in economics in 2020.[6][7]

Career

Antoni taught college-level courses, worked as an economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and testified before Congress and state legislatures.[3] In 2022, he joined The Heritage Foundation, working as a research fellow.[8] Antoni has also been a senior fellow at the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, co-founded by Stephen Moore.[9] Antoni contributed to Project 2025.[10] He was promoted to chief economist for The Heritage Foundation in May, 2025.[11]

Antoni is a Fox News commentator.[12][13]

Commissioner of Labor Statistics nominee

In August 2025, president Donald Trump dismissed the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, hours after the Bureau of Labor Statistics released updated employment figures that suggested a slowing economy. Trump complained about the report's downward revision, which showed job losses and a stalling labor market. Trump alleged that McEntarfer had manipulated the Bureau's data for political purposes.[14] Steve Bannon, a former senior advisor to Trump, suggested that Antoni should be nominated as Commissioner of Labor Statistics.[10] That month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Antoni was among several candidates being interviewed to replace McEntarfer.[15]

:{On August 11, 2025, Trump named Antoni as his nominee for Commissioner of Labor Statistics.[16] The Wall Street Journal noted that "Past BLS commissioners have had extensive research experience, and many have climbed the ranks of the agency itself. Antoni doesn’t fit that profile.":{ He has not published any formal research papers since his graduation, and Antoni's fiscal policy dissertation that is on file at Northern Illinois University "has earned one citation, by the Texas Public Policy Foundation in 2021, while he worked there", according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.[8] }:

:{The National Review has said that "Antoni is nowhere near qualified to be BLS commissioner", suggesting that Trump wants to hire a loyalist for the position, because what "Trump would like is a BLS that is biased in his favor".[17] The New York Times noted that economists from across the political spectrum "found Dr. Antoni's history of distorting economic statistics to support partisan positions" was more concerning than his lack of experience.[18]

The Nation has written that "[Antoni's] track record is so alarming that many conservative economists" have denounced the nomination, including Kyle Pomerleau from the American Enterprise Institute, AEI colleague Stan Veuger, and Dave Herbert of the American Institute for Economic Research.[19]}:}:

Following Antoni's nomination, images resurfaced of him in attendance at the January 6 United States Capitol attack. The White House described Antoni as a "bystander to the events" and denied that he was involved in anything "inappropriate or illegal."[20][21] The White House withdrew Antoni's nomination in September 2025; CNN reported that "GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski had declined to meet with Antoni, potentially raising concerns that his nomination was in trouble."[22]

Views

In the summer of 2024, during a presentation that he led at the Heritage Foundation, Antoni told interns that "women's IQs generally clustered around average scores, while men's IQs varied more between 'geniuses' and low-intelligence individuals", according to sources who spoke with the Washington Post. Heritage Foundation's vice president, Mary Vought, said that Antoni was referring to a Darwinian concept called the "greater male variability hypothesis".[23][24]

According to the Washington Post, Antoni "repeatedly referred to Social Security as a 'Ponzi scheme' in a [2024] radio interview".[25] Antoni has also appeared on a podcast in 2024 where he advocated for sunsetting the Social Security program, saying "you'll need a generation of people who pay Social Security taxes but never actually receive any of those benefits".[26] He further stated that "The people who are going to retire 10, 20, even 30, or certainly 40 years from now—I'm sorry, but the program is not going to be viable at that time".[27]

:{:{In May 2025, Antoni described the Bureau of Labor Statistics's reports as a "random number generator" and criticized the agency's performance in the Biden administration, describing the agency's numbers as being from "the magical world of make-believe".[16]}:

Appearing on Steve Bannon's podcast, War Room in July, Antoni stated that a commissioner of labor statistics appointed by Trump would result in more accurate information from the bureau.[10] In an interview with Fox Business in August, he suggested that the bureau should report job statistics quarterly instead of monthly, after backing down from previous suggestions to suspend the reports altogether.[28][19] According to CNN, "In the absence of a monthly jobs report, the Federal Reserve would be missing data to support one half of its dual mandate (price stability and full employment), which in turn would ... thoroughly disrupt businesses' abilities to plan."[29]}:

Antoni has frequently used a painting of the German warship Bismarck as a background when conducting interviews. He once described the Nazi-era ship, which was sunk by Allied Forces in 1941, as "hard not to love".[30][31]

:{:{On August 18, 2025, Wired first reported that in the months prior to the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Antoni ran a Twitter account under "Dr. Erwin J. Antoni III"[32] that promoted "election denial conspiracy theories while talking about violent threats to those who stood in Trump's way". The account "repeatedly used violent rhetoric to declare how far it was willing to go to ensure Trump secured a second term in office"; one of the final posts made just hours before the assault on the Capitol commenced used "violent religious rhetoric".[33]}:

CNN described the now-deleted Twitter account as having "featured sexually degrading attacks on Kamala Harris, derogatory remarks about gay people, conspiracy theories, and crude insults aimed at critics of President Donald Trump". CNN also reported that Antoni allegedly used "anonymous aliases [which] shared strikingly similar biographical details" and that he left a digital trail on Twitter which "reveals a pattern of incendiary rhetoric that veered frequently into conspiracy theories and misogyny".[34][35]}:

References

  1. Antoni, Erwin John (2020). "Fiscal Triumvirate: Analyses of Crowding Out from Deficit Spending, of Domestic Migration from State Taxes, and of the Irrelevance of Credit Ratings on Municipal Debt Yields". Northern Illinois University. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  2. "Erwin Antoni in the U.S., Index to Public Records, 1994-2019" (Document). Index to Public Records.
  3. Di Domizio, Tony. "Lansdale Catholic graduate nominated to lead federal labor statistics agency - North Penn Now". Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  4. "August and December Class of 2020" (PDF). Northern Illinois University. p. 8. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  5. Roth, Fallon (August 18, 2025). "Trump's controversial pick to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics once attended — then left — a Catholic seminary in Montco". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  6. Gurley, Lauren (August 11, 2025a). "Trump nominates Bureau of Labor Statistics critic to replace fired agency head". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  7. Brown, Courtenay; Irwin, Neil (August 11, 2025). "Trump names new Bureau of Labor Statistics chief amid economic data turmoil". Axios. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  8. Kiernan, Paul (August 12, 2025). "The Partisan Economist Trump Wants to Oversee the Nation's Data". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  9. Zahn, Max. "Who is E.J. Antoni, Trump's pick to lead the BLS?". ABC News. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  10. Smith, Molly (August 11, 2025). "Trump Names Heritage's EJ Antoni to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics". Bloomberg News. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  11. Oprysko, Caitlin; Lippman, Daniel (May 28, 2025). "The lobbyist who rejected Harvard". Politico. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  12. "E.J. Antoni | Fox News". Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  13. "EJ Antoni: From Fox Business to New BLS Commissioner — Education and Career Path". International Business Times UK. August 12, 2025. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  14. Romm, Tony; Casselman, Ben; DePillis, Lydia (August 11, 2025). "Seeking Friendlier Data, Trump Names New Commissioner for Statistics Bureau". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  15. Schwartz, Brian; McGraw, Meridith (August 10, 2025). "Trump Administration Considers Longtime Critic to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  16. Jones, Claire (August 11, 2025). "Donald Trump nominates EJ Antoni to head US Bureau of Labor Statistics". Financial Times. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  17. Pino, Dominic (August 12, 2025). "Trump Wants a Bureau of MAGA Statistics". The National Review. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  18. Casselman, Ben; Rappeport, Alan; DePillis, Lydia (August 12, 2025). "Trump's Pick to Lead Labor Data Agency Adds to Fears of Political Interference". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  19. Lehmann, Chris (August 14, 2025). "The Case Against E.J. Antoni". The Nation. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  20. "Trump Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee was a 'bystander' outside Capitol on Jan. 6, White House says". NBC News. August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  21. Baio, Ariana (August 19, 2025). "Account tied to Trump nominee posted conspiracy theories about Epstein, the 2020 election and Covid, report says". The Independent. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  22. Homes, Kristen; Cancryn, Adam; Kaczynski, Andrew (September 30, 2025). "White House withdraws Trump's controversial nominee to lead BLS after ousting predecessor over jobs data". CNN. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  23. Bogage, Jacob; Gurley, Lauren Kaori; Bhattarai, Abha (September 2, 2025). "Trump's BLS nominee discussed controversial theory on gender IQ with interns". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  24. Cockburn (August 29, 2025). "Trump, tariffs and IQ: the row inside the Heritage Foundation". The Spectator. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  25. Gurley, Lauren Kaori (August 12, 2025b). "Trump's pick for BLS commissioner endorses suspending monthly jobs reports". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  26. Rugaber, Christopher; Boak, Josh (August 13, 2025). "Trump's nominee to oversee jobs and inflation data faces shower of criticism". AP News. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  27. Mesa, Jesus (August 14, 2025). "Trump's BLS Pick Fuels Fears of Rigged CPI, Social Security COLA Cuts". Newsweek. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  28. Berkowitz, Ben; Peck, Emily (August 12, 2025). "Trump's BLS nominee suggests suspending jobs report". Axios. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  29. Wallace, Alicia; Goldman, David (August 12, 2025). "Trump's pick for BLS commissioner floated suspending the monthly jobs report before apparently backing off". CNN. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  30. Lapin, Andrew (August 14, 2025). "E.J. Antoni, Trump's new favorite economist, thinks a Nazi warship is 'hard not to love'". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  31. Gurley, Lauren Kaori (August 29, 2025). "How Trump picked a pro-MAGA, Heritage Foundation economist for BLS". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  32. Ropek, Lucas (September 5, 2025). "Trump's New Labor Stats Guy is a Jan 6 'Bystander' Accused of Unhinged Posts". Gizmodo. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  33. Gilbert, David (August 18, 2025). "An Account Using the Same Name as Trump's BLS Pick Posted Red-Pilled Conspiracy Theories". Wired. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  34. Steck, Em; Kaczynski, Andrew (September 5, 2025). "Trump's pick to lead BLS ran Twitter account with sexually degrading, bigoted attacks". CNN. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  35. Sommerlad, Joe (September 5, 2025). "Trump's nominee to lead BLS accused of trolling top Democrats with offensive Twitter account". The Independent. Retrieved September 6, 2025.

See also

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AN 10 25

President Donald Trump is now withdrawing the nomination of the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

That's according to a Tuesday article in CNN, which reported that the White House has officially submitted its withdrawal paperwork to the U.S. Senate, where Antoni is awaiting formal confirmation. While the White House hasn't officially given a reason for its decision, CNN reported that it may be due to revelations that Antoni administered a secret social media account in which he repeatedly made derogatory remarks about top Democrats and minorities.

CNN reported earlier this month that Antoni was confirmed to be behind an account named "phdofbombsaway" that had been named "ErwinJohnAntoni" up until 2019. That account shared posts implying former Vice President Kamala Harris performed sexual favors to advance her political career, and that referred to Christine Blasey Ford — who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of assaulting her when he was in high school – as "Miss Piggy." At the time, the White House stood by Antoni.

"President Trump has nominated Dr. EJ Antoni to fix the issues at the BLS and restore trust in the jobs reports," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said earlier this month. "Dr. Antoni has the experience and credentials needed to restore solution-oriented leadership at the BLS — solutions that will prioritize increasing survey response rates and modernizing data collection methods to improve the BLS’s accuracy."

Antoni was nominated to replace former BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, who Trump fired after the August jobs report showed anemic job growth and issued revisions lowering job growth estimates from previous jobs reports (a common occurrence, as employer surveys tend to trickle in over time). The White House alleged without evidence that McEntarfer had been purposefully publishing weak jobs numbers in order to embarrass the administration.

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As of Tuesday evening, Congress has been so far unable to pass a bill to keep government agencies funded beyond September 30, meaning a federal government shutdown is imminent. This means that the BLS will not be publishing an October jobs report next Friday. And even if Congress manages to pass a funding bill and end a shutdown by October 7 (when the House of Representatives is scheduled to return), a clean jobs report with a full month of data isn't likely until September.

Click here to read CNN's full report.

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an 8 25

A leading inflation indicator surged much more than expected last month, just as the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs started to weigh on American businesses and consumers.

New Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers released on Thursday showed that wholesale prices rose by 0.9% over the last month and by 3.3% over the last year. These numbers were significantly higher than economists' consensus estimates of a 0.2% monthly rise and a 2.5% yearly rise in producer prices.

PPI is a leading indicator of future readings of the Consumer Price Index, the most widely cited gauge of inflation, as increases in wholesalers' prices almost inevitably get passed on to consumers. Economists have been predicting for months that Trump's tariffs on imported goods, which at the moment are higher than at any point in nearly 100 years, would lead to a spike in inflation.

Reacting to the higher-than-expected PPI number, some economic experts pinned the blame directly on the president.

"So much for foreigners paying tariffs," commented Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at tax consulting firm RSM US, on X. "If they did, PPI would be falling. Wholesale prices up 3.3% from a year ago and 3.7% in the core. The temperature is definitely rising in the core. This implies a hot PCE reading lies ahead."

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Liz Pancotti, the managing director of policy and advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative, took a deep dive into the numbers and found that Trump's tariffs were having an impact on a wide range of products.

"There is no mistaking it: President Trump's tariffs are hitting American farmers and driving up grocery prices for American families," she said. "Wholesale prices for grocery staples, like fresh vegetables (up 39% over the past month) and coffee (up 29% over the past year) are rising, squeezing American families even further in the checkout line."

Pancotti singled out the rise in milk prices as particularly worrisome for American families.

"Milk drove more than 30% of the increase in prices for unprocessed goods, rising by 9.1% in just the past month," she explained. "Tuesday's CPI print showed that milk prices rose by 1.9% in July, and this PPI data suggests further price hikes are on the way."

Betsey Stevenson, who served on former President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, also pointed the finger at Trump's policies.

"Tariffs will cause higher prices," she said. "Volatility and uncertainty will cause higher prices. The PPI jump is not a surprise, it was inevitable."

On his Bluesky account, CNBC's Carl Quintanilla flagged analysis from economic research firm High Frequency Economics stating that the new PPI numbers were "a kick in the teeth for anyone who thought that tariffs would not impact domestic prices in the United States economy."

The firm added that it "will not be a long journey for producers' prices to translate into consumer prices" in the coming months.

Liz Thomas, the head of investment strategy at finance company SoFi, argued that the hot PPI numbers could further frustrate Trump's goal of getting the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates given that doing so would almost certainly boost inflation further.

"The increase in PPI was driven by services, and there were increases in general services costs and in the Trade component (i.e., wholesale/retail margins)," she commented. "The Fed won't like this report."

Ross Hendricks, an analyst at economic research firm Porter & Co., described the new report as "scorching hot" and similarly speculated that it would stop the Federal Reserve from cutting rates.

"Good luck with them rate cuts!" he wrote. "Can't recall the last time we've seen a miss that big on a single monthly inflation number."

Hedge fund manager and author Jeff Macke jokingly speculated that the bad PPI print would cause Trump to fire yet another government statistician just as he fired Erika McEntarfer, the former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Whoever compiles the PPI needs to update their CV," he wrote.

Just as with the monthly jobs report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics collects and publishes PPI data.

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mma

Trump’s BLS commissioner nominee EJ Antoni calls Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces the inflation statistic used for Social Security cost-of-living adjustments for seniors

Written by Zachary Pleat

:{:{Published 08/12/25}:

Frequent right-wing media guest and Project 2025 contributor E.J. Antoni — President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after he fired its previous commissioner following a bad jobs report — has on multiple occasions called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.”

Antoni, widely regarded as a “partisan,” has repeatedly suggested changing the way BLS collects and reports on data, and even called for suspending some of the bureau's data reporting.

Antoni has repeatedly called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and said it needs to be ended}:

Citation

@RealAJAntoni, 11/19/23

December 26, 2024

:{:{Audio}:

Share

Citation

From the December 26, 2024, edition of KTRH's Houston's Morning News

E.J. ANTONI (HERITAGE FOUNDATION ECONOMIST): Social Security is rapidly becoming insolvent because it was basically set up as a Ponzi scheme, so it can't go on forever.

...

ANTONI: You're going to have to transition to a system where people are paying in money and it is kept in a private account for just them. You know, that's how a lot of people think Social Security works today. That I work my whole life, I put in money, it goes into my own account, and when I retire, I get those benefits. That's not true at all. Instead, you work today and that money goes immediately to pay today's retirees, today's beneficiaries.

And so that's why I say it was set up like a Ponzi scheme that was just like FTX or Bernie Madoff, where today's investors are — their funds are being used to pay yesterday's investors. And unless you are going to grow the number of investors at an exponential rate, that system is eventually going to collapse. Well, since we can't grow the workforce at an exponential rate, especially today when our population is actually in a state of decline, you're not going to be able to sustain a Ponzi scheme like Social Security. Eventually you need to sunset the program.

Now, that doesn't mean you need to touch benefits for people who are retired today. That's not true. There's plenty of money available to pay for folks who are already retired. But the people who are going to retire 10, 20, even 30, or certainly 40 years from now; I'm sorry, but the program is not going to be viable at that time.

…

ANTONI: The idea that Social Security can go on forever is just a mathematical fiction. It simply can't. Again, what you need to do is have some kind of transition program where, unfortunately, you'll need a generation of people who pay Social Security taxes but never actually receive any of those benefits. And that sounds harsh, but unfortunately that's the price to pay for unwinding a Ponzi scheme that was foisted on the American people by the Democrats in the 1930s.

:{:{Video}:

Citation

From the March 14, 2025, edition of Just The News, full appearance available here.

E.J. ANTONI (HERITAGE FOUNDATION ECONOMIST): People forget that it's not things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid — it's not entitlement programs that are causing the blowout deficits today. Now, in 10 years, you know, those different Ponzi schemes — it's effectively what they are — those different Ponzi schemes are going to be incredibly problematic and we're going to have to deal with them.

The CPI-W is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor. By law, it is the official measure used by the Social Security Administration to calculate COLAs.

Antoni is widely considered by economists across the political spectrum to be an unqualified “partisan hack."

//

  1. ### After Steve Bannon called for “a MAGA Republican” to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Trump fired its commissioner

08/01/25 4:20 PM EDT

  1. ### Steve Bannon suggests Project 2025 contributor and Heritage Foundation fellow as the new Bureau of Labor Statistics head

08/04/25 11:01 AM EDT

  1. ### Project 2025 leader The Heritage Foundation calls for Social Security cuts

06/18/24

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YIKES OMG 8 25

President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni, is facing backlash after reports that he would consider suspending the crucial monthly jobs report, calling it flawed.

“How on earth are businesses supposed to plan – or how is the Fed supposed to conduct monetary policy – when they don’t know how many jobs are being added or lost in our economy? It’s a serious problem that needs to be fixed immediately,” Antoni told Fox Business.

His solution is to publish the data less often—a move that could send shockwaves through the business world.

“Until it is corrected, the BLS should suspend issuing the monthly job reports but keep publishing the more accurate, though less timely, quarterly data,” he said. “Major decision-makers from Wall Street to D.C. rely on these numbers, and a lack of confidence in the data has far-reaching consequences.”

READ MORE: Revealed: Pentagon Planning Rapid-Deploy ‘Reaction Force’ to Quell Civilian Dissent

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President Trump fired the previous Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, after the BLS released downward revisions of more than 250,000 for April and May.

“I was just informed that our Country’s ‘Jobs Numbers’ are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer,” Trump wrote in an August 1 social media post, baselessly accusing her of having “faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory.”

The 141-year-old Bureau of Labor Statistics is an independent statistical agency and part of the U.S. Department of Labor. Installing what critics are calling a highly partisan commissioner would be unprecedented in modern times.

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich issued a warning: “The independence of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is vital. If politicized, it can’t be trusted as a source of information. Who did Trump just put in charge of the agency? E.J. Antoni — chief economist at the Heritage Foundation and contributor to Project 2025.”

“On top of being the Heritage Foundation’s Chief Economist, E.J. Antoni is literally the 5th Contributor named in Project 2025,” noted journalist Ahmed Baba. “You can’t make this up. Trump is seeking to put the BLS — and America’s economic data — in the hands of a Project 2025 extremist.”

READ MORE: Trump Melts Down Over Elizabeth Warren’s Accusations

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li 6 26

e-j-antoni-iii-a3a19265

Economist, Public Speaker, Consultant, Monetary Scientist

Congressional Testimony January 29, 2025 Hearing on: “Making Washington Work for Seniors: Fighting to End Inflation and Achieve Fiscal Sanity”

[Media

Recession Since 2022

US Economic Income and Output Have Fallen Overall for Four Years](https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-j-antoni-iii-a3a19265/overlay/1742348809507/single-media-viewer/?profileId=ACoAAA27CE4B2ARqoFYpKGT_HHgZ8ionsZeNp_4)

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The Negative Impact of the Biden Administration's Economic Policies on Senior Citizens' Retirement Incomes](https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-j-antoni-iii-a3a19265/overlay/1741212763512/single-media-viewer/?profileId=ACoAAA27CE4B2ARqoFYpKGT_HHgZ8ionsZeNp_4)

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Hearing on “Protecting Consumers’ Pocketbooks: Lowering Food Prices and Combatting Corporate

Price Gouging and Consolidation”

Alice Louise Kassens • 3rd+

John S. Shannon Professor of Economics at Roanoke College

10mo •

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Experience

The Heritage Foundation 4 yrs 4 mos

May 2025 - Present · 1 yr 2 mos](https://www.linkedin.com/company/14681/)

Jun 2023 - May 2025 · 2 yrs

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---

Committee to Unleash Prosperity

6 yrs 2 mos

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Mar 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 4 mos

May 2020 - Mar 2022 · 1 yr 11 mos

Conduct self-directed research and produce econometric-based studies

---

[Economist Texas Public Policy Foundation · Full-time

Mar 2021 - Mar 2022 · 1 yr 1 mo

Austin, Texas](https://www.linkedin.com/company/39704/)

---

[Economic Consultant FreedomWorks

Jun 2020 - Dec 2020 · 7 mos](https://www.linkedin.com/company/59331/)

Empirical analysis of monetary, trade, tax, labor, regulatory, and health policies

---

[Graduate Instructor Northern Illinois University

Jan 2019 - May 2020 · 1 yr 5 mos](https://www.linkedin.com/school/8143/)

Courses: Monetary Policy and Banking, Labor Economics, Environmental Economics, Contemporary Economic Issues, Intermediate Microeconomics, Introductory Macroeconomics

---

Show all

Education

[Northern Illinois University Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Economics

2016 – 2020](https://www.linkedin.com/school/8143/)

Concentrations: Fiscal Policy, Labor Economics

---

[Northern Illinois University Masters, Economics

2016 – 2018](https://www.linkedin.com/school/8143/)

Concentration: Monetary Policy

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Clinical Faculty Professor & Clinic Medical Director & Health Captain Institute @ Health Captains’ Club = Navigating to Optimal Health - Longevity medicine. Progenitor for Academic Biomedical Marine Sciences curriculum](https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeschroeder1/)

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Alex Littlefield

Fellow | PhD International Politics](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlittlefield/)

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Ethan K. Bùi

Conservative Activist and Organizer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-k-b%C3%B9i/)

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[Shannon Pucci · 3rd

Hard Work & Helpfulness Is Energizing | MBA, Real Estate Investor, Marketing Alchemist & ESTP 🇺🇸](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonpucci/)

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International Affairs Professional](https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-primorac-21503712/)

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Think Tank Director, Scholar, and author](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-richards-0289a726/)

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Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice](https://www.linkedin.com/in/giancarlo-canaparo-1002905a/)

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William Beach

Fifteenth Commissioner of Labor Statistics at the Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-beach-8489924/)

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David R. Burton

Senior Research Fellow at Advancing American Freedom](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrburton/)

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Managing Partner at AFI Partners](https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-j-antonio-4004ba3/)

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Economist building tools to help Congress score legislation](https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkersheppard/)

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npr ish

Last week, President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. His new nominee to replace them is a Northern Illinois University grad.

E.J. Antoni received both a Master’s and Ph.D. in economics from NIU. Antoni was a graduate assistant at the university for almost four years, up until his graduation in 2020.

His dissertation was called “Fiscal Triumvirate: Analyses of Crowding Out from Deficit Spending, of Domestic Migration from State Taxes, and of the **:{Irrelevance of Credit Ratings on Municipal Debt Yields.”}:

“E.J. did very good empirical work on issues such as the effect of taxes on migration,” said NIU economics professor Carl Campbell in a statement to WNIJ. Campbell was Antoni’s dissertation advisor. “On a personal level, E.J. was a kind and respectful student.”

Antoni also briefly served as an adjunct professor at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon.

The economist has worked at the Heritage Foundation since 2022, where he contributed to the policy initiative Project 2025.

Antoni has two reviews on the crowd-sourced teacher rating site “Rate My Professors” from his time at Sauk Valley and NIU.

Both apparent students claim that he was well-versed in economics, but unnecessarily injected conservative politics into class and used material from right-wing networks like PragerU.

After Trump called previous bureau data “rigged,” some economists worry the move will undercut trust in the agency’s future numbers.

TAGS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Northern Illinois Univerity, President Donald Trump

Illinois Public Radio

Illinois Newsroom gets stories from public radio stations from across the state, including WBEZ-Chicago, WCBU-Peoria, WGLT-Normal, WVIK-Rock Island, WIUM-Macomb, WNIJ-DeKalb, WSIU-Carbondale, WUIS-Springfield, and St. Louis Public Radio.

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wapo

How Trump picked a pro-MAGA, Heritage Foundation economist for BLS

E.J. Antoni made a key connection while getting his doctorate.

August 29, 2025

Economist Stephen Moore, left, became a key connection to President Donald Trump for E.J. Antoni, Trump’s new pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

By Lauren Kaori Gurley

E.J. Antoni, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, made a key political connection in graduate school with someone in Trump’s inner circle who later lobbied for him to lead the country’s top statistical agency...

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herit bs

:{A mericans have witnessed the effects of public policy that isn’t grounded in sound economics, from runaway deficits, sky-high inflation, falling real wages, and sagging economic optimism. But in today’s woke academic world, economists who want to conduct research on the benefits of limited government and the free exchange of goods and services are at a severe disadvantage—not only in numbers but in the ability to get financial support for their research from existing institutions.

In 2024, Heritage embarked on another bold plan: to establish the Institute for Research Economics (IRE). The goal of the IRE is to build a community of scholars, create opportunities for new scholars and those pursuing doctorates, extend our reach into academia, enhance Heritage’s reputation for superior policy research, and create a vital new hub for scientific excellence in the shadow of Capitol Hill. Heritage enlisted esteemed economists Robert Barro and Charles Calomiris to ...}:

Heritage enlisted esteemed economists Robert Barro and Charles Calomiris to oversee the project. When fully up and running, IRE will feature a regular stable of full- and part-time scholars, host regular seminars, and publish a regular working paper series, including a blog edited by Barro and Calomiris. As part of Heritage’s commitment to academic excellence, IRE scholars will be free to follow the paths dictated by objective scientific inquiry.

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2024_AnnualReport

EJ Antoni, research fellow with the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, joined the Kevin Roberts Show to talk about Bidenomics and how to restore the American dream.

:{REVERSING THE GROWTH OF REGULATIONS, SPENDING, AND INFLATION I n the past year, the national debt skyrocketed by more than $2 trillion, interest on the debt topped defense spending for the first time in history, and regulatory costs exploded. At the same time, families struggled to make ends meet, and real wages remained well below where they were at the start of 2021. As bad as these numbers are, they would have been far worse had your support not provided the resources for Heritage to stand against the Uniparty in Washington.

Even in a hostile political environment, you provided our experts the resources they needed to uncover the worst spending abuses, fight against the BidenHarris administration’s regulatory onslaught, and expose the truth about jobs and wages that the corrupt mainstream media wanted to keep hidden. For example, our educational work detailing the serious flaws in a bill that would have expanded welfare and business subsidies proved instrumental in its demise. Our experts provided ammunition to lawmakers to hold discretionary spending growth below GDP growth and to rein in unaccountable taxpayer money being thrown at the Ukraine war.

At the same time, Heritage scholars attacked BidenHarris administration regulations by filing dozens of substantive comments in response to proposed rules to delay and eliminate bureaucratic overreach. These efforts paid off. For example, after Heritage filed a detailed comment on a proposed labor rule that would hamstring franchises—calling the regulation “arbitrary and capricious”—a federal}:

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musk

richard a stern jan 29 2024

inflationary

When Congress tried to ram through a “tax relief” bill that would have expanded welfare benefits to illegal immigrants, Heritage was one of the few organizations to raise the alarm. During this debate, a post on X by Richard Stern, director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget caught the eye of Elon Musk, who reposted it to his massive following. Heritage’s research and messaging was widely credited for stopping this massive spending bill from reaching President Biden’s desk.

ggl 6 26

AI Overview

Elon Musk made headlines by vehemently criticizing President Trump's major tax and spending legislation. Labeling it a "disgusting abomination" and a "debt slavery bill," Musk targeted the legislation for massively increasing the federal budget deficit by trillions of dollars. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Regarding the January 29, 2024, date and "inflationary tax bill" query:

For further review, you can examine the full analysis in the 2024 Annual Report - The Heritage Foundation.

killed in senate? jason ut some corp bene in later bill

in January 2025, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R‑MO 8th), the lead negotiator of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, implied that most corporate tax provisions in the bill would be included in the upcoming reconciliation package in the 119th Congress.[15] BIG UGLY BILL?

Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act - Wikipedia

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ggl 6 26

AI Overview

The House Ways and Means Committee approved the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024) by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 40-3 on January 19, 2024. The roughly $79 billion package was subsequently passed by the full House of Representatives. [1, 2, 3]

The bipartisan tax framework—spearheaded by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden—included several key provisions: [1, 2]

You can track the full legislative history, committee reports, and detailed bill text on Congress.gov. [1, 2, 3]

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off bs

Antoni, PhD is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget

His work has been featured with a variety of news outlets including Fox News and Fox Business, Wall Street Journal, Townhall, Bloomberg,Daily Caller, National Review, CNBC, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Federalist, and others. He is a daily guest on news and business television and regularly appears on many podcasts and radio programs, including the nationally syndicated VINCE Show, where he is the in-house economist.

:{:{Dr. Antoni’s work has been featured with numerous think tanks and institutes including Unleash Prosperity, where he is a senior fellow.}:

NOTE MOORE NOT NAMED

He also frequently presents his research in testimony before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures. Previously, he was an economist at Texas Public Policy Foundation and has taught courses ranging from labor economics to money and banking. Antoni holds master’s and doctoral degrees in Economics and regularly speaks at colleges and financial institutions.}:

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Media Matters for America

Steve Bannon suggests Project 2025 contributor and Heritage Foundation fellow as the new Bureau of Labor Statistics head

The Heritage Foundation's EJ Antoni is listed as a contributor in Mandate for Leadership, the policy book for Project 2025.

.4 hours ago

The Heritage Foundation

E.J. Antoni, PhD

He is a daily guest on news and business television and regularly appears on many podcasts and radio programs, including the nationally syndicated VINCE Show,...

.May 27, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Inflation Is Down Since January and Should Keep Improving

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.3 days ago

Fox Business

Heritage Foundation chief economist asks lawmakers to not 'waste money' on SALT

The Heritage Foundation chief economist EJ Antoni weighs in on soaring Treasury yields and details what lawmakers should prioritize in...

.May 21, 2025

Media Matters for America

After Steve Bannon called for “a MAGA Republican” to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Trump fired its commissioner

Trump took this action following a weak jobs report with major downward revisions. Economists say this move will create mistrust about...

.2 days ago

The Heritage Foundation

U.S.-Japan Trade Deal Is a Masterpiece

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.4 days ago

The Heritage Foundation

Powell Put the Fed and Taxpayers in the Red

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.1 week ago

The Heritage Foundation

Economic Growth Hiding in Plain Sight

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.May 6, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Trump Hits a Home Run With June’s Job Report

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.3 weeks ago

The Heritage Foundation

This Is How Donald Trump Can Terminate Tariff Turmoil

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.May 8, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Trump’s Tariff Critics Are Trading on Overblown and Unfounded Fears

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Feb 4, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in May’s Jobs Report

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.1 month ago

The Heritage Foundation

How To Thaw America’s Frozen Housing Market

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.1 month ago

The Heritage Foundation

Trump’s Tariff Strategy Can Work but America Still Needs Deeper Economic Reform

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.May 27, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Elon Built the DOGE Rocket and It’s Going To Keep Flying

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Jun 3, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Trump Speech Lays Out Roadmap to Prosperity

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Mar 10, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Trump’s Penny Policy: It Makes Sense To Stop Making Cents

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Feb 13, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

The Front Lines of Bureaucratic Bloat: The Labor Market

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Mar 24, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

Seniors Are Getting Crushed by Washington’s Recklessness

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Nov 8, 2024

The Heritage Foundation

Trump Wins the First Round Against Inflation

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Mar 21, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

E.J. Antoni, PhD

EJ Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.May 27, 2025

KNRS

The Rod and Greg Show Daily Rundown - Friday, July 18, 2025

At 4 pm on KNRS, E.J. Antoni of the Heritage Foundation on how inflation has dropped, and should continue to fall, and the reasons behind...

.2 weeks ago

Fox News

Trump lays out action plan to defeat China in AI race

Heritage Foundation research fellow EJ Antoni on President Donald Trump's plan to defeat China and the rest of the world in the AI race and...

.1 week ago

Fox Business

Economist reveals the two things needed to boost oil production

Heritage Foundation research fellow and economist EJ Antoni weighs in on President Donald Trump's creation of the National Energy Dominance...

.Feb 18, 2025

Fox News

EJ Antoni warns NYC of Mamdani's 'economically illiterate' policies

Heritage Foundation research fellow EJ Antoni analyzes the political landscape of New York City after Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani's...

.1 month ago

Fox Business

Kamala Harris is demonstrating her ignorance of basic economics: EJ Antoni

Heritage Foundation research fellow and economist EJ Antoni discusses whether Trump can cut the price of oil if he's elected and Kamala...

.Oct 22, 2024

Connersville News-Examiner

What to do with the worst Fed chairman ever

President Donald Trump is not one to mince words, and that includes voicing his disapproval of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

.May 9, 2025

The Heritage Foundation

U.S.-Japan Trade Deal Is a Masterpiece

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.4 days ago

Fox Business

Trump's SALT proposal is not good policy: EJ Antoni

Heritage Foundation research fellow and economist EJ Antoni discusses whether politics plays a part in Fed rate cuts and analyzes Trump's...

.Sep 19, 2024

The Heritage Foundation

America Is Hurting but It’s Not for a Lack of Money

E.J. Antoni is the Chief Economist, and Richard Aster Fellow, in The Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget.

.Jan 4, 2024

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