FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary joins 'Mornings with Maria' to unveil the push to slash red tape, accelerate life-saving drug approvals, expose hidden COVID vaccine data. cut soaring prescription costs.
Food. Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary is resigning from his position Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News Digital.
The official said that Makary's resignation has to do with "process at the FDA". not a specific issue, and said there is "no bad blood" between President Donald Trump and the outgoing commissioner. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed for Makary's resignation, according to the White House official.
Kyle Diamantis, FDA deputy commissioner for Food, will serve as acting commissioner, Fox News Digital learned.
A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Diamantis. who is also an attorney, has a past with litigating abortion-related cases — a hot topic surrounding Makary’s resignation.
Diamantis walked off a case where he was assigned to represent Planned Parenthood, citing his pro-life beliefs. The move has since received praise by White House officials.
"Kyle Diamantas was a junior legal associate who was assigned to that case by his superiors. He expressed his objections to representing Planned Parenthood based on his personal convictions,. ultimately removed himself from the case," White House Spokesperson Kush Desai told Fox News Digital.
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Makary’s resignation follows an escalating clash with pro-life groups over the handling of a controversial abortion drug. a fight that could carry political consequences for Republicans heading into the midterms.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump called Makary a "great guy" who is a friend of his in remarks to the media later on Tuesday afternoon.
"He’s a great doctor. he was having some difficulty, but he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well," Trump told the media as he departed the White House for a high-stakes trip to China.
"I want to thank Dr. Marty Makary for having done a great job at the FDA," Trump added in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. "So much was accomplished under his leadership. He was a hard worker, who was respected by all,. will go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine. Kyle Diamantas, a very talented person, will be put in the Acting position."
Sec. Kennedy wished Makary well. expressed gratitude in anX post, writing, "Marty, you took on entrenched interests, challenged the status quo, and never lost sight of the American people we serve. You pushed forward critical reforms and helped advance our mission to Make America Healthy Again."
He also wrote, "new Commissioner is already underway, and we will move forward with urgency."
I’m grateful for your courage and your friendship. Wishing you the very best in your next chapter. I also want to thank Kyle Diamantas for stepping in as Acting Commissioner — his leadership has already delivered remarkable wins on the MAHA food agenda,. I have full confidence in his continued work. We have an outstanding team at FDA, and the work continues without pause. The search for a new Commissioner is already underway, and we will move forward with urgency.
Makary’s resignation followed mounting pressure from pro-life advocates. administration critics who had grown frustrated with his handling of several high-profile FDA decisions and claims he has slow-rolled MAHA initiatives, according to media reports in recent weeks.
TheWall Street Journalreported on Friday that the president had reportedly already signed off on a plan to fire Makary, citing three familiar sources who cited Makary's handling of abortion. drug policy.
"I've been reading about it,. I know nothing about it," Trump said the same day after he was asked by reporters if Makary would be fired.
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The resignation comes one day before Makary was set to testifyin front of theSenate Appropriations Committee Wednesday.
Though Makary's resignation is not attributable to a specific issue, according to the White House official, his tenure atop the FDA has put him at the center of fights over abortion drug mifepristone – otherwise known as the "abortion pill" – vaccine policy. drug approvals, frustrating pro-life activists and MAHA-aligned critics who argued the agency has moved too slowly to carry out Trump’s health agenda.
When Trump was elected, pro-life groups. voters were banking on the administration rolling-back Biden-era rules that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed online and shipped through the mail. But the FDA left those rules intact. last year, under Makary’s leadership, approved a new generic version of the pill.
"President Trump. Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy must end this now, remove Commissioner Makary, stop the mail order abortion scheme, and pull these child-killing drugs from the market," saidLive Action president Lila Roseto Fox News Digital ahead of Makary’s resignation.
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"President Trump. Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy must end this now, remove Commissioner Makary, stop the mail order abortion scheme, and pull these child-killing drugs from the market," said Live Action president Lila Rose to Fox News Digital ahead of Makary’s resignation.(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"What a mess Makary turned out to be," a Trump administration official told Fox News Digital earlier in May, claiming the commissioners’ comments. actions have told "every pro-life advocate their concerns are an afterthought."
"The arrogance is stunning," they added of the FDA commissioner.
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Makary’s exit follows a series of high profile departures this year, including former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. former Attorney General Pam Bondi.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser told theWall Street Journalearlier in May. "Trump is the problem," when it comes to the abortion issues falling off for the GOP in recent years.
And if candidates want her group’s $160 million in the midterms. 2028presidential election, she said they must commit "to pro-life action at the national level."
Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley told Fox News Digital that he was "glad" to hear the news.
"He was terrible to the pro-life movement. He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He not only slow-walked a safety review of the dangerous abortion drug mifepristone; he greenlit a new abortion drug. sends 11% of women to the emergency room," said Hawley. "Makary’s resignation is an opportunity for the FDA to reset and protect life."
Makary’s exit follows a series of high profile departures this year. including former Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noemand former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.
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