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# FDA Commissioner Makary Resigns After Administration Pressure
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fda-commissioner-makary-resigns-after-administration-pressure/
- Published: 2026-05-12T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T13:39:07.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: FDA Policy/General, #legacy-id-D5161129

FDA commissioner **Marty Makary** has resigned after a week of mounting speculation that the Trump Administration was preparing to remove him. The resignation follows several days of reports that President Trump had approved plans to dismiss Makary over conflicts involving flavored vape approvals, abortion-pill policy, vaccine oversight and broader dissatisfaction with the agency’s performance. Trump attempted to distance himself from the matter and told reporters 5/8 that he knew nothing about Makary’s potential ouster ([see earlier story](https://www.fdaweb.com/trump-denies-makary-is-on-the-outs/)).

Numerous media outlets reported Tuesday that Makary informed staff he would step down effective immediately or within days, ending a turbulent tenure that lasted just over a year. Several reports said FDA deputy commissioner for food **Kyle Diamantas** is expected to serve as acting commissioner until Makary’s replacement is confirmed by the Senate and sworn in.

Makary, a surgical oncologist from Johns Hopkins University and a prominent figure in the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, had entered the role promising to modernize FDA operations, accelerate drug reviews and overhaul food safety policy. But his tenure quickly became defined by internal instability and political conflict.

Media reports over the past several days described pressure from multiple constituencies simultaneously: anti-abortion groups unhappy with the pace of FDA action on mifepristone, vaping advocates frustrated by delays in authorizing flavored e-cigarettes, pharmaceutical executives angered by unpredictable review decisions, and former FDA officials concerned about political interference in scientific processes.

The departure adds to continuing leadership churn across federal health agencies under HHS secretary **Robert F. Kennedy Jr.** Specificially at FDA, critics had noted persistent turnover inside the agency’s vaccine and drug-review leadership during Makary’s tenure.

Makary had previously gained national prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic for criticizing vaccine mandates and aspects of federal public health policy. Supporters portrayed him as a reform-minded outsider challenging entrenched FDA practices, while critics argued the agency became increasingly politicized and operationally unstable under his leadership.

Reacting to the news, the National Organization for Rare Disorders urged the Administration to "keep up the momentum on key policy priorities, including those reflected in the President’s budget, such as the Priority Review Voucher (PRV) program, which plays a critical role in incentivizing rare disease innovation. We urge the swift nomination of a commissioner who is grounded in science, prioritizes medical rigor, and is able to provide the stable, consistent leadership the FDA needs... We need an FDA that remains steady, evidence-driven, and patient-centered—one that can translate scientific breakthroughs into accessible treatments."