President Trump has reportedly signed off on dismissing FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who served a little over a year as of May 2026. The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, and Politico reported the planned ouster. Makary faced Trump's ire over flavored vapes and angered anti-abortion lawmakers by slow-walking a mifepristone safety study. The removal creates another high-profile vacancy under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Department of Health and Human Services.
Makary firing plans
- ▪Marty Makary said 'Feeling good' with a thumbs up when asked outside the Food and Drug Law Institute conference on May 6, 2026 how long he plans to stay at the FDA
- ▪Marty Makary was supposed to give an address at an annual FDA 5K race held on the White Oak, Md., campus on May 9, 2026, but was absent
- ▪The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, and Politico reported that the White House is planning to oust Marty Makary
- ▪President Trump has reportedly signed off on a plan to dismiss Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary
- ▪Rumors of Marty Makary's potential firing have spread among industry leaders, lobbyists, and legislative staffers since at least late 2025
FDA tenure initiatives
- ▪Marty Makary has served as FDA Commissioner for a little over a year as of May 2026
- ▪Marty Makary's FDA tenure included efforts to shorten drug review timelines
- ▪Marty Makary's FDA tenure included efforts to crack down on misleading ads
- ▪Marty Makary's FDA tenure included efforts to pressure the food industry to remove chemical dyes
Political controversies
- ▪The appointment of a permanent FDA commissioner requires Senate confirmation
- ▪Marty Makary tried to block FDA agency scientists from approving flavored vapes and then faced the ire of President Trump, who wanted Makary to approve them to appease young voters in the Make America Great Again movement
- ▪Marty Makary angered the anti-abortion community and some Republican lawmakers by slow-walking a safety study on the abortion pill mifepristone
Personnel turmoil
- ▪Marty Makary's FDA tenure was marked by personnel drama and departures of longtime staff
- ▪Neither of the FDA's main divisions that regulate the biopharma industry are led by permanent officials as of May 2026
- ▪Marty Makary's FDA tenure was marked by controversy over political pressure impeding the FDA's scientific process
HHS leadership vacancies
- ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health department has been operating without a surgeon general as of May 2026
- ▪The Trump administration pushed out two top HHS officials three months before May 2026 in a bid to mitigate dysfunction in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s department
- ▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s health department has been operating without a permanent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director as of May 2026
Perspective of President Trump and MAGA movement supporters
- ▪President Trump wanted Marty Makary to approve flavored vapes to appease young voters in the Make America Great Again movement
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