Summary: "What we know about President Trump's nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics"

Podcast: Consider This from NPR
Date: August 17, 2025
Host: Scott Detrow
Guest: E.J. Fagan, professor of political science at the University of Illinois in Chicago and author of "The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics"

Episode Overview

This episode examines President Trump's nomination of E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). NPR explores why this decision has caused concern in the economics and policy communities, focusing on the increasing influence of the Heritage Foundation within the Trump administration and the broader implications for traditionally nonpartisan institutions like the BLS.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Heritage Foundation's Growing Influence

• Overview of Think Tank Influence:

  • Traditionally, economists in Washington think tanks deal in theory and policy proposals that often don’t reach real implementation. The Heritage Foundation, however, has seen many of its ideas become prominent features of the Trump administration's agenda.
    • “Highly respected economists often work in so-called think tanks... That’s not the case for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group that has been a driving force in the Trump administration’s agenda.” (Scott Detrow, 00:09)

• Project 2025:

  • Heritage published "Project 2025," a plan for Trump’s second term that has shaped major policy moves: tougher immigration, reducing the federal workforce, ending public media funding.
  • The project became a talking point in political attacks during the election, leading Trump to distance himself from it publicly, though its influence persisted behind the scenes.
    • “It’s called Project 2025, a 922 page blueprint to make Don the most powerful president ever.” (Unnamed Commentator, 00:51)

2. The Politicization of the Bureau of Labor Statistics

• The BLS is traditionally a nonpartisan, data-focused agency.
• President Trump fired the previous head of BLS after an unwelcome economic report, raising alarm about politicization.
• E.J. Antoni’s nomination, given his direct Heritage ties and advocacy for Trump policies, breaks with precedent and prompted criticism from economists across the spectrum.
  • “The appointment surprised so many people because the BLS is traditionally nonpartisan, a data driven agency.” (Scott Detrow, 01:41)

3. Heritage Foundation’s Evolution and Alignment with Trumpism

• Historical Shift:

  • Fagan describes Heritage’s move from a broad conservative think tank aligned loosely with previous Republican administrations to a more advocacy-driven organization fully embracing Trump-era, MAGA-aligned conservatism.
  • “They very often were on the outs with certain types of Republicans… I think the moment that you see this real shift… there’s a leadership transition in 2013… Jim DeMint …becomes the new president… and you see this rapid shift from that organization beginning at that point.” (E.J. Fagan, 04:36)

• Relationship with the Trump Administration:

  • Heritage now plays a core role in staffing and policy planning for Trump, particularly via Project 2025, “elbowing out” the old establishment wing of the party.
  • “What Heritage did with Project 2025 is they organized a Trump administration that could just elbow out pretty much the entire other side of the party, the Mitt Romney side of the party, the George W. Bush side of the party.” (E.J. Fagan, 05:30)

• Influencing Policy or Following Leadership?

  • Fagan contends Heritage has become more reactive, acting as the “lowest common denominator” to enable a more authoritarian Republican party, rather than purely producing policy scaffolding for Trump.
  • “Right now, the bargain… is that they’re willing to be the lowest common denominator. Right. They’re willing to be the organization that enables a more authoritarian Republican Party.” (E.J. Fagan, 06:21)

4. The Antoni Nomination and its Ramifications

• Antoni is seen as unqualified for the statistical, data-driven leadership required at BLS.
• Fagan warns this is emblematic of the Heritage Foundation’s transformation—less substantive policy work, more political advocacy.
• Concerns about BLS’s capacity to continue accurate, trusted data collection under Antoni’s leadership.
  • “Antoni is incredibly unqualified for that job… BLS is a real job… not a traditional hack, highly political position for a reason. I think he’s going to be a disaster over there… I’m very skeptical that they’re going to continue putting out the Current Population Survey…” (E.J. Fagan, 08:04)

5. Think Tanks and Expertise in Contemporary Politics

• Heritage was founded on the premise that mainstream experts were wrong and conservatives needed their own answers; this led to the creation of parallel “experts.”
• Shift from genuine policy expertise to “enablers” who justify the party line, even at the cost of objective analysis.
• This transformation, Fagan argues, is both Heritage’s greatest source of power and its primary liability.
  • “The dangerous thing is that they’re still an influential organization. And so they’ve replaced the real policy wonks with enablers… If I were someone who’s concerned about the conservative policy world, I’d be very concerned about that.” (E.J. Fagan, 08:55)

6. The White House Responds

• The administration defended Antoni:
  • “Antoni’s education and vast experience as an economist has prepared him to produce accurate public data. In addition to being the chief economist at the Heritage foundation, he has frequently testified before Congress on economic issues. His research has been featured by many think tanks and advocacy groups.” (White House spokesperson statement, read by Scott Detrow, 09:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Highly respected economists often work in so called think tanks in Washington, D.C. can be pretty theoretical… that's not the case for the Heritage Foundation.”
  – Scott Detrow, 00:09

• “It’s called Project 2025, a 922 page blueprint to make Don the most powerful president ever.”
  – Unnamed Commentator, 00:51

• “The BLS is traditionally nonpartisan, a data driven agency.”
  – Scott Detrow, 01:41

• “Jim DeMint, Republican senator, actually retires from the Senate in order to take a very large salary to be the new president of the Heritage foundation. And you see this rapid shift from that organization kind of beginning at that point.”
  – E.J. Fagan, 04:36

• “Right now, the bargain that Heritage has been making, really, since about 2022 or so, is that they're willing to be the lowest common denominator. Right. They're willing to be the organization that enables a more authoritarian Republican Party.”
  – E.J. Fagan, 06:21

• “Antoni is incredibly unqualified for that job… I think he’s going to be a disaster over there… I’m just very skeptical that they're going to continue putting out the Current Population Survey…”
  – E.J. Fagan, 08:04

• “They’ve replaced the real policy wonks with enablers. And I think that’s… both their strongest and their weakest right now.”
  – E.J. Fagan, 08:55

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Heritage Foundation’s Influence and Project 2025: 00:01–01:29
• Background on the BLS and the Antoni Nomination: 01:29–03:20
• Origins and Evolution of the Heritage Foundation (with E.J. Fagan): 04:02–05:18
• Heritage/Trump Administration Relationship & Project 2025: 05:18–06:46
• Examples of Heritage’s Policy Shift: 06:46–07:30
• Antoni Nomination & Implications for BLS: 07:30–08:45
• Think Tanks, Expertise, and Current Political Climate: 08:45–09:53
• White House Response on Antoni: 09:53–10:40

Conclusion

This episode unpacks the rapid politicization and transformation of the Heritage Foundation from think tank to powerful advocacy engine for the current Republican agenda. Antoni’s nomination to the BLS is depicted as a pivotal episode in this trend, raising serious concerns about the future of objectivity in government data and the broader implications of placing ideology above expertise in American governance.