Collins, Murkowski Didn’t Meet With Key Trump Nominee Before Withdrawal

President Donald Trump Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee Dr. E.J. Antoni was withdrawn Tuesday after two Republican senators  failed to meet with him, according to sources familiar.

A person familiar with the matter said Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine declined to meet with Antoni, which sparked worries about his nomination, according to a CNN report. Another source familiar confirmed to the Daily Caller that the two senators did not meet with the Trump nominee.

A Murkowski spokesperson pushed back on the notion that she refused to meet with Antoni prior to his name being withdrawn when speaking with the Caller. (RELATED: Trump Picks Conservative Economist As Next Labor Stats Chief)

“It’s not correct to characterize it that she refused to meet with him,” the spokesperson said, explaining that they had a meeting scheduled on a Monday in early September. “Her return flight got delayed when the meeting was supposed to be so she had to cancel it, we just were never able to reschedule with E.J. We did have staff meeting E.J. at the committee level.”

Seriously, just fire the whole Board of Governors at this point… pic.twitter.com/eX1riFVDX6

— E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) August 8, 2025

When asked by the Caller if Murkowski was open to supporting Antoni, her spokesperson pointed to a Sept. 11 statement in which she said, “I think some of the comments that he has made recently, and previously, are disqualifying.”

A spokesperson for Collins told the Caller that the senator did not meet with the the nominee but added that she does not make decisions before a hearing.

Trump, after dismissing Commissioner Erika McEntarfer over a disappointing July jobs report, announced on Aug. 11 that he was nominating Heritage Foundation chief economist E.J. Antoni to lead the bureau. (RELATED: Trump Reportedly Withdraws Nomination Of Conservative Economist For Labor Stats Chief)

“Dr EJ Antoni is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country. President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public’s trust in critical economic data. The President plans to announce a new nominee very soon,” a White House official said in an statement.

Dr. E.J. Antoni continues to be one of the sharpest economic minds in the country. E.J.’s immense capabilities and insightful economic analysis have not changed—and we are very proud to have him on our team.

It is undeniable that BLS needs reform and @RealEJAntoni was the right… pic.twitter.com/qrDuOBcsxd

— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) October 1, 2025

Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, issued a statement Tuesday on Antoni. “Dr. E.J. Antoni continues to be one of the sharpest economic minds in the country. E.J.’s immense capabilities and insightful economic analysis have not changed—and we are very proud to have him on our team. It is undeniable that BLS needs reform and E.J. Antoni was the right man for the job. E.J. will keep calling for that reform and serving the interests of the American people from his invaluable role as chief economist at Heritage.”

The Daily Caller reached out to Collins for further comment.