Trump Approves Plan to Oust FDA Chief Makary Amid Vaping, Drug and Abortion Disputes

Uncertainty now hangs over the agency Americans count on for everything from cancer therapies to the safety of their children's food. President Trump has signed off on a plan to remove FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, according to multiple reports citing administration officials. The move, first detailed by the Wall Street Journal on May 8, 2026, is not yet final and could still shift, but it caps 14 months of growing friction inside federal health leadership.

At the center of the tension sits one unresolved question: can the FDA pursue faster approvals and what Makary calls "gold standard science" while satisfying White House priorities on vaping access, abortion pill oversight and biotech innovation? Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon confirmed in March 2025, aligned himself with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda. He pushed to phase out petroleum-based food dyes, launched a school lunch pilot that FDA reports confirmed cut pesticides by 70 to 80 percent, and shortened some drug review times from a year to one or two months. He also ordered the largest-ever infant formula contaminant testing, which found low or undetectable levels of lead, mercury and PFAS.

Yet those steps did not resolve deeper clashes. The White House pressed Makary to approve fruit-flavored vaping products from manufacturer Glas. He initially resisted over concerns the blueberry and mango varieties would appeal to underage users, according to people familiar with the discussions. The FDA eventually authorized them in recent weeks, the first such fruit flavors cleared for sale, complete with age-verification requirements. Public health groups warned the decision could reverse years of declining youth vaping rates.

Anti-abortion organizations, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, criticized Makary for approving a generic version of mifepristone in 2025 and for what they described as insufficient action to restrict its access after the Dobbs decision. The group called the expansion "unconscionable." Makary told The Daily Wire in an exclusive interview that the FDA has now committed to a detailed safety study on the drug that will inform next steps; that study has not been publicly announced on the FDA website. Former Vice President Mike Pence amplified calls for stronger measures.

Biotechnology companies and rare-disease advocates complained that the agency under Makary rejected multiple applications for treatments targeting Huntington's disease, certain cancers and other conditions. Makary defended the decisions as grounded in career scientists' assessments that the drugs lacked sufficient evidence of effectiveness. He introduced public posting of complete response letters to increase transparency, arguing the public deserves to know why therapies fail. "If the drug works, it gets approved," he said in the interview.

The tenure also saw significant internal strain. Reports from STAT News and MedPage Today documented high leadership turnover, including the departure of longtime cancer drug regulator Richard Pazdur, multiple acting heads in the drug evaluation office, and effects from broader staff reductions. Patient groups described delays and "unnecessary hoops" for rare-disease therapies. Makary countered that he inherited a mess, noting that in the year before his arrival China conducted four times as many phase-one trials as the United States; that specific ratio could not be independently verified in public data from other outlets.

White House spokesman Kush Desai responded to questions by stating that "President Trump has assembled the most experienced and talented administration in history, an administration that continues to focus on delivering more historic victories for the American people." Makary did not comment on the ouster reports. If he departs, the FDA would join the CDC, the Surgeon General's office and the agency's own vaccine division in lacking permanent leadership.

The disputes reflect larger crosscurrents. Makary positioned the agency against Big Food and Big Pharma while accelerating pathways for terminal or rare-disease drugs that bypass certain randomized trials. He restored what he termed basic science after what he called Biden-era politicization, citing the approval of COVID vaccines for healthy children against some scientists' recommendations; no public records confirm an explicit overruling of FDA scientists on that issue. Supporters say his approach restores rigor. Critics from both parties argue it has produced paralysis in places and subordinated evidence to politics.

One fact stands beside another. The same commissioner who delivered measurable reductions in school lunch contaminants also faced simultaneous pressure from tobacco donors, pro-life activists and biotech investors. The resulting friction has left the FDA's direction unsettled at a moment when public trust in science remains near historic lows. Any successor will inherit the same unresolved tension between speed, safety and competing ideological demands.