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Welcome to The Logoff: Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is out of a job.
What happened? Makary, who led the federal agency in charge of regulating drugs, medical devices, food safety, cosmetics, and more, resigned under pressure on Tuesday, after reports surfaced last week that President Donald Trump had approved a plan to fire him.
His ouster is just the latest upheaval for the country’s public health infrastructure, which has been in turmoil under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
What’s the context? Makary’s departure leaves HHS without a confirmed CDC director, FDA commissioner, or surgeon general.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez was forced out in August after clashing with Kennedy over vaccines, and HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, who took over as acting CDC director after Monarez left, departed in February. Trump has yet to have a surgeon general nominee confirmed, and earlier this month made his third nomination for the role.
Why was Makary forced out? The proximate cause — but not the only one — was seemingly his opposition to approving fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for sale, something which Trump has pushed for. (The vapes were authorized last week, and the FDA also issued additional favorable guidance on Friday.)
Trump, who promised to “save Vaping” in 2024, has expressed interest in the issue as a way to court young voters; the change is a gift to tobacco companies. However, public health officials warn that flavors such as mango and blueberry could boost vapes’ appeal to teenagers and younger children.
Makary was also not popular with conservative Republicans for his approach to the abortion drug mifepristone, an issue Trump has tried to avoid. On Tuesday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) described him as “uniquely destructive to the prolife movement,” while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said in a post that Makary was “part of a broader symptom of an administration that has not paid attention to pro-life issues.”
And with that, it’s time to log off…
For the latest edition of her indispensable advice column, my colleague Sigal Samuel wrote about what to do if the news has you feeling misanthropic lately. It’s an evocative reminder of the value of “Renaissance humanism, the tradition that emphasized just how beautiful and wonderful human beings can be.” You can read Sigal’s piece here with a gift link.
Thanks for reading, have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
