President Trump has reportedly signed off on a plan to dismiss Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary. It would be the latest high-profile departure to hit Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health department.
Makary has served in the role for a little over a year. His tenure was ambitious, filled with the announcements of dozens of new initiatives, including efforts to shorten drug review timelines, crack down on misleading ads, and pressure the food industry to remove chemical dyes.
The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, and Politico reported that the White House is planning to oust Makary. The plans could still change, the publications said.
The White House and spokespeople for Makary and Kennedy didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
Makary was supposed to give an address at an annual FDA 5K race held on the White Oak, Md., campus on Friday, and to run with staff. But he was absent, two agency sources told STAT.
Makary’s tenure has also been tumultuous, marked by personnel drama, departures of longtime staff, and controversy over political pressure impeding the FDA’s scientific process. His departure comes after months of reports suggesting he was on “thin ice” with his bosses in the Health and Human Services Department and the White House. Rumors of his potential firing have spread among industry leaders, lobbyists, and legislative staffers since at least late 2025.
In addition to several high-profile management fumbles, Makary repeatedly found himself facing political conundrums.
Most recently, according to the Wall Street Journal, he tried to block agency scientists from approving flavored vapes and then faced the ire of President Trump, who wanted him to approve them to appease young voters in the Make America Great Again movement. Makary has also angered the anti-abortion community and some Republican lawmakers by slow-walking a safety study on the abortion pill mifepristone.
But his exit would mean that the Trump administration would need to fill yet another slot in Kennedy’s health department, which has already been operating without a permanent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director as well as a surgeon general. As with those roles, the appointment of a permanent FDA commissioner requires Senate confirmation.
It would also add to a slew of vacancies atop the FDA. Neither of the agency’s main divisions that regulate the biopharma industry are led by permanent officials.
The Trump administration last shook up HHS leadership just three months ago, pushing out two top officials in a bid to mitigate dysfunction in Kennedy’s department and focus it on politically popular initiatives such as healthier food.
In light of the intensifying rumors of his imminent departure, STAT asked Makary outside the Food and Drug Law Institute conference on Wednesday how long he plans to stay at the agency.
“Feeling good,” he said, with a thumbs up.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
