CNN
By Kaitlan Collins, Ben Tinker, Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN
(CNN) — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary is leaving the Trump administration, according to three people familiar with the situation, after President Donald Trump signed off on a plan to fire him last week.
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. And he oversaw constant turnover within the agency’s senior ranks.
Trump is expected to appoint Kyle Diamantas, a deputy commissioner who heads the agency’s food program, as acting FDA chief, according to two people familiar with the decision.
Still, Makary’s resignation means Trump will now need to fill yet another vacancy — the eventual permanent pick requires Senate confirmation — in the top ranks of the US Health and Human Services Department. The administration already lacks a permanent leader atop the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a permanent surgeon general, who traditionally serves as the nation’s top doctor.
A source familiar with Makary’s departure said it was largely due to disagreements over the vape issue. “He doesn’t want to approve youth-appealing flavors, but has been forced to by the powers that be,” the person said.
Makary’s departure comes one day before he was set to testify about the FDA’s proposed budget before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Politico first reported his resignation.
A push to oust Makary had accelerated in recent days, driven by a faction of White House and HHS officials who had soured on an FDA that had been marked by constant chaos, internal clashes and policy confusion, people familiar with the matter said.
Makary over the last week sought to shore up his standing with Trump, telling associates at some points that he believed the president still retained confidence in him.
So it caught Makary and his allies by surprise when several reports surfaced Friday that Trump had approved a plan to fire him. That prompted widespread speculation within the administration over who was behind the push, as well as when and whether Trump would make his removal official.
Despite the widespread dissatisfaction with Makary’s performance, some Trump aides had argued that ousting yet another senior health official would amount to a political misstep — further angering a portion of the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” base. It would also create