FDA chief to depart after Trump signed off on ousting him
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is leaving the Trump administration after President Donald Trump signed an agreement, according to three people familiar with the matter. I plan to fire him. last week.
The FDA chief had come under intense and sustained pressure from within the administration — including his resistance to approving the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, an incident that prompted Trump to confront him directly — and from outside allies, including the pharmaceutical industry and anti-abortion interest groups. And he was overseeing constant change at the top levels of the agency.
Trump is expected to name Kyle Diamantas, the deputy commissioner who heads the agency’s food program, as acting FDA chief, according to two sources familiar with the decision. Trump later confirmed that Makary had left and that he had tapped Diamantas in a call. Real Social post.
Still, Makary’s resignation means Trump must fill another vacancy at the top levels of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the eventual permanent selection requires Senate confirmation). Management already lacks a permanent leader atop the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and permanent surgeon generalthe person who traditionally serves as the country’s top doctor.
A source familiar with Makary’s departure said it was largely due to disagreements over the vaping issue. “He doesn’t want to approve flavors that appeal to young people, but those in power were forced to do so,” the person said.
Makary’s departure comes a day before the FDA is scheduled to testify about its proposed budget before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Policy first reported his resignation.
The push to oust Makary had accelerated in recent days by a group of White House and HHS officials soured on an FDA marked by persistent chaos, infighting and policy confusion, people familiar with the matter said.
Makary last week sought to strengthen his standing with Trump, at points telling associates he believed the president still retained his confidence.
That’s why the emergence of some of Trump’s reports on Friday surprised Makary and his allies. approved the plan to fire him. This has led to widespread speculation within the administration about who is behind this crackdown and when and whether Trump will officially announce his impeachment.
Despite widespread dissatisfaction with Makary’s performance, some Trump aides argued that removing yet another top health official would be a political misstep, further angering some of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” base. It would also create another top-level vacancy, forcing the Senate to devote valuable time to approving an amendment before the midterms.
But the White House and others at HHS saw Makary’s departure as inevitable. They welcomed the opportunity to reset leadership at the FDA before November and strengthen relationships with key groups in the anti-abortion movement and the pharmaceutical industry.
In addition to Makary’s planned dismissal, White House and HHS officials were also considering restructuring the agency’s senior staff.
Surgeon and author Makary had promised to speed up FDA decisions on drugs, devices and vaccines following approval in March 2025. However, the following year he frequently found himself mired in controversy; both pharmaceutical companies dissatisfied with its management of the drug approval process and administrative officials who question its handling of other areas of the FDA’s broad portfolio, including tobacco regulation.
In a recent flashpoint that saw renewed talk among Trump and his advisers about firing Makary, the FDA chief resisted internal efforts to approve the sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. The issue led an angry Trump to directly pressure Makary about his vaping decisions, two people familiar with the episode said. The FDA then reversed course on flavored e-cigarettes last week.
And in another key episode, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, a key figure in anti-abortion efforts, met with White House officials on Friday to pressure the FDA to reverse regulations that allow providers to ship the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail.
Such a move would have nationwide repercussions for access to abortion, as the FDA sets nationwide rules for prescribing the drug. Medication abortions now account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States, helping fuel an overall increase in the procedure since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections in 2022.
Social conservatives have been warning for months that this could be a motivating issue in the upcoming midterm elections, and the Supreme Court has signaled it might take up the issue. But activists have long argued that some of the blame lies with Makary.
“FDA Commissioner Makary should be fired immediately,” Dannenfelser said in a statement days before the White House meeting. “Complacency is simply unacceptable for the millions of pro-life voters who expect the administration to take action to save lives.”
The FDA commissioner also split the “Make America Healthy Again” coalition sparked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Some vaccine critics complained that Makary did not withdraw Covid-19 vaccines from the market. Others advocating for improved food policies praised him for taking steps to remove artificial food dyes and crack down on overly processed foods.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this report.
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