FDA commissioner – Marty Makary resigned amid reports Trump expected to fire him, after clashes over e-cigarettes, mifepristone review, and other FDA decisions.
The timing raised eyebrows inside Washington: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stepped down on Tuesday as reports circulated that President Donald Trump was expected to fire him.
Makary’s resignation comes after weeks of escalating scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle.. A report cited an FDA official saying Makary left amid concerns about the administration’s decision to allow fruit-flavored e-cigarettes—an FDA policy shift he had opposed.. Republicans. meanwhile. had also been pressing Makary over what they viewed as incomplete follow-through. including a promise that the agency would review the safety of the abortion medication mifepristone.
Fruit-flavored vaping became the central flashpoint between the White House and the FDA leadership.. Makary had opposed authorizing the products, arguing they could make smoking more appealing to children.. Yet. at the direction of the White House. the FDA issued what was described as a quiet policy change on Friday. making it easier for companies to market the fruity products.. The internal dispute over whether the FDA was moving too quickly—and in a direction Makary disagreed with—helped set the stage for his abrupt exit.
The push to reshape the FDA’s approach also ties into broader changes aimed at rolling back parts of the Biden-era framework.. The administration has pressed the agency to reverse a rule that allowed doctors to prescribe mifepristone through telemedicine. a shift that has drawn strong attention because it affects how and where patients can access the medication.
Beyond e-cigarettes and mifepristone. Makary’s tenure was marked by repeated clashes over scientific claims and how far the FDA should go in loosening or tightening oversight.. Health leaders ridiculed the commissioner after the FDA released an unsupported memo alleging deaths were tied to COVID-19 vaccines.. Separately. critics continued to question decisions involving peptides—compounds described as unproven with uncertain effects—after the FDA eased restrictions on them.. Those moves were often celebrated by supporters associated with Health Secretary Robert F.. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
Even voices outside the administration weighed in on the stakes of the change.. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, said she was concerned about who might take over.. She warned that a replacement focused primarily on interests tied to tobacco companies. anti-abortion activists. or pharmaceutical companies would be dangerous for the agency’s credibility and public-health mission.
The question now is not only who will lead the FDA day to day. but whether the leadership transition will signal further policy shifts.. The Guardian reported that Kyle Diamantas, the FDA’s top food official, will serve as acting commissioner.. It remains unclear whether Trump will nominate Diamantas to become a permanent commissioner.
Trump, for his part, addressed Makary’s departure with a personal tone.. Trump told reporters Tuesday that Makary is “a great guy. ” describing him as a “great doctor” who would “do well. ” and adding that “everybody wants that job.” The remarks came after Trump signed off on the plan to let Makary go earlier this month. according to another report.
Makary’s time at the FDA began under conditions that heightened tension inside the agency.. Kennedy and Elon Musk—at the time leading the non-defunct Department of Government Efficiency—imposed budget cuts and laid off staff at the FDA.. Some of the cuts affected workers considered vital for reviewing complex surgical devices. conducting food manufacturer inspections. and monitoring drug safety.. Although the FDA later brought back many of those employees. another round of layoffs impacted roughly 4. 000 staff members. about a fifth of the agency’s workforce.
The leadership churn is unfolding alongside other vacancies and high-profile exits in the broader administration.. Several key health roles remain unfilled while nominees wait for confirmation. including Nicole Saphier. Trump’s third pick for surgeon general. and Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. Schwartz would be the CDC’s fifth director in a year.
Makary’s resignation is also the fourth high-profile departure from the Trump administration this year. Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid a misconduct probe.
With the FDA now entering a new leadership chapter. the political fight that surrounded Makary’s decisions—especially over fruit-flavored e-cigarettes and regulatory approaches touching abortion medication access. vaccine-related claims. and compound oversight—may not fade.. Instead. it is likely to move into a new phase as acting leadership takes over and the White House weighs its next steps.
Marty Makary resignation FDA commissioner fruit-flavored e-cigarettes mifepristone telemedicine Trump FDA policy CDC nominee Schwartz health leadership vacancies