Trump Signs Off on Ousting FDA Chief Marty Makary
Trump fires FDA Commissioner Marty Makary
President Donald Trump has officially signed off on a plan to remove Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Martin “Marty” Makary from his post. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, a senior administration official confirmed the decision on Friday afternoon following a period of escalating friction between the White House and the nation’s top drug regulator.
Makary was confirmed as the 27th FDA Commissioner in March 2025 and has since overseen a series of high-profile staff departures and controversial regulatory decisions. While the plan is reportedly moving forward, administration sources cautioned that the President could still change his mind before a formal announcement is made.
The potential ousting comes at a critical moment for the Department of Health and Human Services, as the administration continues to push for significant structural changes across federal health agencies.
The tension between the White House and the FDA reached a boiling point over the agency’s handling of vaccine approvals and tobacco regulations.
Reports indicate that President Trump expressed significant frustration with Makary regarding the FDA’s initial refusal to review Moderna’s investigational mRNA flu vaccine. Additionally, the commissioner faced intense pressure from the administration to authorize fruit-flavored vaping products, a move he initially resisted before the agency relented earlier this week.
Industry analysts at Fierce Pharma suggest that these policy disagreements, combined with internal infighting and a wave of resignations among senior staff, led the President to lose confidence in Makary’s leadership. The departure of Dr. Vinay Prasad from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research just last week reportedly served as a final signal of the agency’s deteriorating stability.
The broader landscape of American public health policy is currently undergoing a massive shift under the current administration. On May 7, 2026, the United States officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), a move that has already sparked a financial crisis for the international body. Within the domestic sphere, the FDA has been targeted for significant downsizing, with hundreds of layoffs occurring shortly after Makary took office last year.
Critics within the medical community, such as former oncology chief Dr. Richard Pazdur, have warned that political influence is increasingly impacting regulatory decision-making. As the search for a possible successor begins, stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries are bracing for further volatility in the federal approval process.
