politics
Trump Removes FDA Commissioner Marty Makary
President Trump has approved a plan to dismiss Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary following clashes over vaping regulations, oversight of the abortion pill and new drug application denials that affected biotech companies. The move, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes amid pressure from anti-abortion groups and tobacco industry interests.
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President Trump has signed off on a plan to fire Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary after a series of policy clashes, according to multiple reports on May 8, 2026. The decision follows disagreements over the agency's handling of flavored e-cigarettes, oversight of the abortion pill mifepristone and a string of drug approval denials that rattled biotech companies.
The White House had pressed Makary for months to authorize flavored e-cigarettes, a top priority for major tobacco companies that have been top donors to Trump. In March the FDA issued a memo limiting authorizations to flavors such as mint, tea and spices, stating that fruit and candy flavors were unlikely to pass muster because of their appeal to young people.
Anti-abortion groups had also complained that the agency did not move aggressively enough to restrict access to mifepristone after approving a generic version that lowered its price and expanded potential access. The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump's decision, citing unnamed sources.
A source close to the White House told Reuters that Trump had signed off on firing Makary, though the plan is not finalized and remains subject to change. The president has previously changed his mind after Makary persuaded him to retain his position.
Makary, a former surgical oncologist at Johns Hopkins, was confirmed as FDA commissioner in March 2025. He maintained a high public profile, appearing frequently on television and podcasts to discuss efforts to improve the food supply, speed up some drug approvals and rebuild agency morale after significant staff departures.
He sought to balance business-friendly goals of reducing regulations that slow innovation with skepticism toward the pharmaceutical industry voiced by supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Makary authorized natural food dyes and worked to attract more drug trials to the United States.
