# FDA Commissioner Makary resigns amid administration turmoil  
**Published:** 2026-05-12T22:31:55.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/12/repub/trumps-fda-commissioner-exits-after-pressure-from-anti-abortion-groups/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/fda-commissioner-makary-resigns-amid-administration-turmoil

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned Tuesday after months of turmoil at the agency and White House staff last week signing off on a plan to replace him, according to [reporting from the Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/12/repub/trumps-fda-commissioner-exits-after-pressure-from-anti-abortion-groups/). Kyle Diamantas, a deputy commissioner who heads the agency's food program, was appointed as acting FDA chief.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the decision to replace Makary. In a [Truth Social post](https://truthsocial.com), President Donald Trump praised Makary's work but announced the leadership change. Diamantas is a lawyer and does not have a medical degree.

Makary's tenure was marked by internal dysfunction at the FDA, leadership turmoil and mounting backlash from drugmakers, physicians and patient groups on regulatory decisions. The FDA chief had come under intense and sustained pressure from within the administration — including over his resistance to approving the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, an episode that prompted Trump to confront him directly — and from outside allies, including in the pharmaceutical industry and anti-abortion interest groups.

Makary faced particular pressure from conservatives and anti-abortion groups after pressing the FDA to take action on the abortion drug mifepristone, with reports in December that he had slow-walked the study. The influential Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organization had called for Makary's ouster over the FDA's handling of the abortion pill mifepristone, with reports that Makary slow-walked a safety review of the pill, which can be mailed to states that have limited abortion.

Makary resigned after a 13-month tenure marked by turmoil. His resignation is the fourth high-profile departure of a member of the Trump administration this year. The administration hopes to name its nominee to replace Makary in the coming weeks.

Virtually all of FDA's senior career officials resigned, retired or were forced out in the first year of the second-term Trump administration, leading to a steady stream of leaks and negative stories in the media cataloging low morale, dysfunction and frustration among staff.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/12/repub/trumps-fda-commissioner-exits-after-pressure-from-anti-abortion-groups/)
- [Washington Post coverage of FDA leadership changes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/05/12/fda-chief-plans-resign-amid-agency-turmoil/)
- [CNN reporting on Makary's departure](https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/12/politics/makary-fda-trump-leave)
- [NBC News coverage of Makary resignation](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dr-marty-makary-fda-commissioner-rcna344765)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/12/repub/trumps-fda-commissioner-exits-after-pressure-from-anti-abortion-groups/.