FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigns amid turmoil at agency

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary resigned May 12 after a 13-month tenure marked by internal upheaval, staff departures, clashes over drug approvals and vaping regulations, and criticism from pro-life groups over abortion-pill policy. 

President Donald Trump announced Makary’s departure in a Truth Social post, sharing a screenshot of Makary’s resignation text and thanking him for “having done a great job at the FDA.” Trump called Makary “a hard worker, who was respected by all,” and said he would “go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine.” 

Trump named Kyle Diamantas, an attorney and the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food, as acting commissioner. Trump must nominate a permanent replacement, who would require Senate confirmation.

Makary, who was confirmed by the Senate in March 2025 and sworn in the following month, said in his resignation message that he was “extremely proud” of his work at the agency. He cited faster drug review times, expanded access to psychedelic treatments, a new pathway for rare disease drugs, and changes to estrogen labels for menopausal hormone replacement. 

Multiple outlets reported that Trump had signed off on a plan to remove Makary days ago after months of dissatisfaction with his leadership. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump had pressured Makary to move faster on approvals for flavored vapes, which Makary reportedly opposed. On May 5, the FDA approved four flavored e-cigarette products.

Makary’s departure also comes as pro-life groups have pressed the Trump administration to revisit Biden-era FDA rules that expanded access to mifepristone and allowed the drug to be prescribed by telehealth and sent by mail. 

>> Is Trump losing the pro-life movement over abortion pills? <<

Tom McClusky, director of government affairs for CatholicVote, said Makary’s ouster had “zero to do with the pro-life cause, despite grandstanding claims otherwise,” arguing that any meaningful change on mifepristone would have to come from higher levels of government.

“The problem isn’t at the FDA, where they honestly seemed to want to curb this dangerous death drug,” McClusky said. “Minds need to be changed at higher levels to realize that keeping the abortion drug on the market with very few limitations leads to death and injury for mothers and their children.”

McClusky also noted that Diamantas previously represented Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando as lead counsel in a 2014-2017 property dispute. Diamantas represented the organization in litigation involving a neighboring property owner’s attempt to use a restrictive covenant in a medical park deed to stop abortions at the facility.

Asked by reporters May 12 about Makary’s departure, Trump called him a “great doctor” and said he was “having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on, and he’s going to do well.”

Trump did not say whether he fired Makary or asked him to resign.