6 reactions to Marty Makary resigning from FDA after e-cig, abortion pill tensions

5. Scott Gottlieb

During an interview this week with NPR, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb speculated on the impact Marty Makary’s resignation might have on the Trump administration’s health agenda. 

Gottlieb, who served as the FDA commissioner from 2017 to 2019 during Trump’s first term, said he couldn’t say for sure whether the resignation was related to the reported pressure from the White House to approve flavored vapes.

“I don't know the details. Marty's a friend. I think there were some constructive things that he did during his tenure at the agency,” Gottlieb said. “I think that the biggest challenge that the agency faces and has faced was just the loss of senior personnel.” 

In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would implement restructuring initiatives in accordance with Trump’s 2025 executive order, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” 

The HHS said that it planned to save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year through a reduction in workforce of about 10,000 full-time employees, in addition to implementing other changes.

Under the restructuring plan, the HHS announced that the FDA would decrease its workforce by approximately 3,500 full-time employees, with “a focus on streamlining operations and centralizing administrative functions.”

According to the HHS, the reduction would “not affect drug, medical device, or food reviewers, nor will it impact inspectors.”

Gottlieb told NPR that he does not believe “the continued turnover at the agency is not constructive for FDA.”

“I think what you want in those positions is stable leadership both in the commissioner's office — and there's probably going to be other turnover in the commissioner's office as a result of his departure — but also stable leadership in the different centers that govern the products, oversee different product centers,” he explained. 

Regarding the claim that Makary’s resignation is related to disagreements with the White House on tobacco-related issues, Gottlieb acknowledged that it does appear as if the White House had a different perspective on some of those issues. 

“But, look, I had policy disputes,” the former FDA commissioner said about his time in the role. “I had places of disagreement, but I was always able to come to a compromise and didn't feel that the White House forced me into a decision.”