Dorothy

Shortly before his resignation, Makary had drawn the ire of President Trump for attempting to block the approval of fruit-flavored vapes, and anti-abortion groups for not placing harsher restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone. But even before Makary took the helm, mass layoffs and the loss of scientific expertise had already thrown the FDA, which has oversight powers extending to more than a fifth of the U.S. economy, in turmoil.

AP report: Marty Makary resigning as Trump's FDA chief At the FDA, Makary failed to win the staff's confidence after mass layoffs, leadership changes and a series of controversies in which the agency's scientific principles appeared to be overridden by political interests.

Makary's resignation would end a tumultuous 13-month tenure at the agency. At times he angered the Make America Healthy Again movement galvanized by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is Makary's boss, for not advancing its agenda quickly enough. He also upset people looking for a more traditional approach to regulation by the FDA as they knew it before Trump was elected for a second term.

President Donald Trump’s first commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, abruptly resigned from office on Tuesday afternoon following a series of controversies at the FDA, one of the largest regulatory agencies within the sprawling Department of Health and Human Services. Diamantas, previously director of the Human Foods Program at the FDA, was selected to be the acting director when Makary’s resignation was announced.

Though Makary's resignation is not attributable to a specific issue, according to the White House official, his tenure atop the FDA has put him at the center of fights over abortion drug mifepristone – otherwise known as the "abortion pill" – vaccine policy and drug approvals, frustrating pro-life activists and MAHA-aligned critics who argued the agency has moved too slowly to carry out Trump’s health agenda.

What happened? Makary, who led the federal agency in charge of regulating drugs, medical devices, food safety, cosmetics, and more, resigned under pressure on Tuesday, after reports surfaced last week that President Donald Trump had approved a plan to fire him.

WASHINGTON — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned on May 12, President Donald Trump said, marking the latest high-profile leadership shakeup in the nation's health department.

Next FDA chief to face similar headwinds after Makary’s ouster Marty Makary’s resignation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may help release some pressure by removing one of the Trump administration’s more embattled health leaders. But the next head of the agency will have to navigate many of the same headwinds — political interference, funding cuts and balancing the demands of the “Make America Healthy Again”…

Makary faced a unique challenge in balancing calls by Trump and other Republicans to cut red tape at the FDA, while also tending to Kennedy’s interest in scrutinizing the safety of vaccines, drugs and food additives. The decision to get rid of Makary was made by Kennedy, and then the White House signed off on it, according to an administration official who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to describe internal dynamics.

The resignation ends a contentious tenure at the FDA, which is responsible for overseeing the safety of food, drugs and veterinary products. Under Dr. Makary’s leadership, the agency drew criticism from Republicans for not reversing a Biden-era rule that let abortion drugs be mailed and dispensed via telehealth. He was also blasted by healthcare advocates after the FDA announced last week that it authorized fruit-flavored vapes for adults.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary resigned from his position on Tuesday, amid reports that President Donald Trump was considering firing him.

Dr. Marty Makary is out as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the fourth high-profile departure of a member of the Trump administration this year, according to two people familiar with the decision.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, is resigning after a rocky tenure that drew months of complaints from health industry executives, anti-abortion activists, vaping lobbyists and other allies of President Donald Trump.

Diamantas’s ascension to the top role at the agency comes after his predecessor Marty Makary resigned on Tuesday. Makary’s 13-month tenure at the regulatory agency was marked by tumult and frustration from both sides of the aisle. He clashed with lawmakers on Capitol Hill about drug regulation decisions and a review of mifepristone, an abortion medication, which conservative members of Congress accused him of slow-walking.

The resignation of FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary creates an opportunity for the agency to return to its mission of protecting the public by ensuring drugs are safe. Whether Kyle Diamantas is running the agency long-term or the administration expediently appoints someone new, now is the time to address the most significant public health crisis of our time: the widespread distribution of mail-order abortion drugs.

Food and Drugs Commissioner Marty Makary resigned his position Tuesday after irking President Trump with his slow-walking of flavored e-cigarette approvals, according to multiple reports.

Makary, a surgeon by training, took office in March 2025. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

F.D.A. Commissioner Marty Makary Resigns After Weeks of Pressure The agency’s top food official will step in as acting commissioner, after Dr. Makary’s tumultuous run as the nation’s top food, drug, tobacco and medical device regulator.

Inside Marty Makary's Downfall at the FDA