Embattled FDA Chief Marty Makary Resigns Amid Mounting Criticism

WASHINGTON—Embattled FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned Tuesday, marking a major shakeup at the health agency following a reported pressure campaign to remove him for slow walking MAHA and pro-life initiatives.

Makary ultimately called it quits over President Donald Trump’s push to authorize fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, an action he opposed, according to the New York Times.  But vapes may have been the last straw for Makary, who has faced growing criticism from pro-life advocates over the FDA’s handling of mifepristone and the speed of the agency’s review of the abortion drug’s safety. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing the legality of the mail-in abortion drug. 

President Trump, speaking to reporters before departing for China, declined to say whether he had resigned or been fired.

“Everybody wants that job. It’s a very important job, Marty is a terrific guy,” Trump said. “He was having some difficulties; he’s a great doctor, and he was having some difficulties. But he’s going to go on, and he’s going to do well.”

JUST IN: President Trump responds to Dr. Marty Makary resigning from his post as FDA Commissioner:

“Everybody wants that job. It’s a very important job… He was having some difficulties, he’s a great doctor and he was having some difficulties. But he’s going to go on and he’s… pic.twitter.com/SHG3eUyE81

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 12, 2026

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) celebrated Makary’s resignation, calling him “uniquely destructive to the pro-life movement.

“He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He slow-walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone,” Hawley said. “He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when the data shows it sends 1 in 10 women to the emergency room. He froze out pro-life leaders and repeatedly stonewalled Congress. His resignation is an opportunity for the FDA to reset.” 

FDA Deputy ‌Commissioner ⁠Kyle Diamantas will lead the agency in an acting capacity, according to Politico. 

Makary’s resignation comes after several media outlets reported that President Trump signed off on a plan to fire Makary amid agency turmoil and backlash from anti-abortion advocates. His departure follows months of mounting criticism from Democrats over vaccine policy and from pro-life advocates frustrated with the agency’s handling of mifepristone regulations.

Makary had defended the FDA’s approach, telling The Daily Wire the agency was conducting a detailed safety review of the abortion drug and that any next steps would be guided by that study.

“We have brought back gold standard science and taken politics out of the process,” Makary told The Daily Wire in an exclusive interview last week. “We’ve been going hard on what’s right. Be it the COVID vaccine, be it getting back to basic science — gold-standard science … We are going up against Big Food, Big Pharma, and we aren’t afraid to stand up to them.”

SBA Pro-Life America led the charge calling for the termination of Makary.

“Indifference is completely unacceptable to millions of pro-life voters expecting the administration to act to save lives. Abortions are up, not down, after Dobbs, with at least 1.1 million deaths a year,” the group said in a statement. 

“This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP,” the group added. “The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top.”

Conservative commentator Katie Pavlich said she was “sad” to see Makary leave the FDA. 

“He is a good man and was a desperately need[ed]  voice of logic, reason, courage and ethics during COVID panic. He never caved to mandate pressure, even putting his job on the line at Johns Hopkins,” she said on social media. 

Makary, a longtime surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and outspoken critic of the politicization of medicine during the COVID era, is the latest official to exit the Trump administration. Since January, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez DeRemer have left their roles.

Drew Berkemeyer contributed to this report.