Italian American Heritage Month: E. J. Antoni

E. J. Antoni (Erwin John Antoni III) was born in October 1987 to Erwin John Antoni and Josephine Mary Cipriani. He completed a bachelor’s degree (in arts) and then went on to earn both a master’s and a doctorate in economics from Northern Illinois University. During his graduate studies he taught courses in labor economics and money and banking.

Antoni built a career at the intersection of economics research and policy advocacy. He worked as an economist at Texas Public Policy Foundation, then joined The Heritage Foundation, where he serves as Chief Economist and the Richard Aster Fellow in the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. His research focus has included fiscal and monetary policy as well as labour-market statistics. 

In August 2025, then-President Donald Trump nominated Antoni to become Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), following the abrupt departure of his predecessor. The nomination spurred debate among economists about data integrity and partisanship in federal statistical agencies.

Antoni is known for his media presence and frequent commentary on economic policy. He appears on major outlets and uses his think-tank platform to raise questions about government spending, inflation data, and labour statistics. His approach is aligned with conservative economic policy advocacy, emphasizing transparent and accountable data as the basis for policymaking.