Report: FDA Commissioner Set To Be Fired, Sources Say Trump Could Still Change His Mind

Reports circulating in Washington indicate Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary could be the next senior health official removed by the Trump administration, just over a year after his appointment.

On May 8, senior officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., allegedly urged the White House to move forward with Makary's dismissal, according to an anonymous source cited by Politico.

Makary's brief tenure has touched on several contentious policy areas, including abortion medication access, flavored vaping regulation and alignment with some rare-disease drugmakers.

He has also pushed efforts to speed up drug approvals and clinical trials while reducing regulatory requirements, initiatives that remain under internal debate. The sources said Makary has not been formally notified of any decision and continues to have support within parts of HHS.

He did not appear Monday in the Oval Office alongside other top public health officials as President Donald Trump highlighted his administration's work on maternal health. When asked about Makary, Trump said he had seen reports but knew "nothing about it."

Makary is scheduled to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 13 on the FDA's budget for the coming fiscal year. Axios reported Trump has previously reversed course on personnel decisions, leaving open the possibility the move could change.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that officials discussed Makary's potential removal following growing internal tensions after the FDA authorized flavored e-cigarettes on May 6, a decision sources said followed pressure from Trump after Makary had initially resisted to approve it.

If Makary is replaced, officials are considering several potential successors. Kyle Diamantas, the FDA deputy commissioner for food, is viewed as a leading candidate, while some speculation has also centered on former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who served in Trump's first administration.

"We expect the White House to nominate a less disruptive, pro-industry commissioner, consistent with other recent steps the administration has taken to moderate the agency," Capstone analyst Will Humphrey told Axios.