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Washington — Marty Makary resigned as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday, stepping aside amid a swirl of reports that his tenure was coming to an end over internal policy disagreements.
His departure follows reports of conflict and tension over the FDA’s agenda. On May 6, the FDA approved some flavored e-cigarettes from the vaping company Glas Inc., and touted its safety restrictions to limit use by young people. According to The Wall Street Journal, the move came only after Mr. Trump pressured Makary to approve the fruit-flavored vapes, which he had been refusing to do.
One source familiar with the matter told CBS News that Makary is leaving over the e-cigarette dispute, adding that the commissioner didn’t want to approve the flavored varieties but had been forced to by other members of the administration.
CBS News and other outlets had reported in recent days that President Trump had signed off on a plan to fire him. Makary didn’t appear Monday in the Oval Office alongside the president and other top public health officials for an event on maternal health.
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday afternoon, the president said he did not want to discuss the circumstances of Makary’s departure, but called him a “great guy” and a “friend of mine.”
“Marty’s a terrific guy, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to lead a good life,” Mr. Trump said. “He was having some difficulty. You know, he’s a great doctor. And he was having some difficulty. But he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well.”
Later in the afternoon, the president posted to Truth Social a screenshot of a text from Makary submitting his resignation. “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve as your FDA Commissioner. I am forever grateful,” he wrote.
In a separate post, the president said that Kyle Diamantas, the deputy commissioner for food, would step into Makary’s role on an acting basis.
Makary’s resignation is the latest shakeup within the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA. Vaccines chief Vinay Prasad, an ally of Makary, recently departed for a second time.
Makary was expected to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Diamantas is expected to testify in Makary’s place, according to one source, but the hearing was postponed. The Senate Appropriations subcommittee said a new hearing would be announced at a later date.
Career FDA officials told CBS News there was widespread joy and relief among rank-and-file inside the agency over Makary’s resignation.
One senior official accused Makary of “endless self-promotion” and engaging in an unprecedented level of “micromanaging and meddling in activities commissioners used to not interfere with.”
Under Makary, career officials say, there was a lack of transparency, and staff would often find out about new initiatives through press releases or articles in medical journals.
The senior official also cited Makary’s management of a voucher program that would fast-track drugs through the agency’s approval process, noting that it forced “virtually impossible levels of work on divisions that are significantly understaffed right now” due to an exodus of veteran scientists.
Staffers also brushed off concern that Diamantas would be as difficult to deal with as Makary.
“He’s an outstanding person and great leader, with high integrity and sound judgment,” another official said.
The FDA commissioner is responsible for overseeing and regulating drugs, vaccines and tobacco, among other things. The FDA regulates one-fifth of consumer spending in the U.S., making it a powerful agency within American public health.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who served as FDA commissioner for two years during Mr. Trump’s first term, told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday that the role is a “very difficult job,” and noted the upheaval at the FDA since last year has been detrimental.
“There’s been a lot of departures from the agency. You’ve seen political appointees take over what are typically career leadership positions, running the medical product centers, the drug center and the biologics center,” Gottlieb said. “So, I think cumulatively, that’s taken a toll on the agency, and this continued speculation that we saw on Friday, I think is just going to be another step downward.”
Makary, a British-American surgeon, was confirmed to lead the FDA in March 2025. He was an avid supporter of the Make America Healthy Again movement and had been highly critical of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The vaping issue wasn’t the only one that caused friction for Makary. Conservatives and anti-abortion groups also sought Makary’s ouster after pressing the FDA to take action on the abortion drug mifepristone.
In 2021, the Biden administration made it possible for women to receive the pills via telehealth and by mail. The majority of women who terminate pregnancies do so through medication abortions.
Last June, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked Makary to review mifepristone to examine “real-world outcomes and evidence, relating to the safety and efficacy of the drug.”
In December, there were reports he had slow-walked the study, and soon afterward, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and other conservatives called for Makary’s firing.
The group called for an immediate study and went on to accuse Makary of “severely undermining” Mr. Trump and Vance on the issue.
“Makary must go,” SBA Pro-Life America said at the time.
