Makary's resignation comes one day before he was scheduled to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies with regard to the administration's budget request for FY 2027.

For the past year, pro-life Republican senators have publicly criticized the Trump administration for perceived delays in reviewing the safety of mifepristone, the first pill of the chemical abortion regimen. Under rules promulgated by the Biden administration and left in place under the second Trump administration, abortion pills can be distributed through the mail, across state lines, with no in-person appointment required.

Without an in-person appointment, physicians cannot verify the unborn child's gestational age or rule out an ectopic pregnancy, two conditions that can threaten the life of a woman who takes the abortion pill, to say nothing of the life of the child. The lax oversight has also enabled abusive boyfriends and traffickers to coerce women into abortions against their will.

In October 2025, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) lambasted the FDA's "shocking" approval of "ANOTHER chemical abortion drug, when the evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course 100% lethal to the child."

In February 2026, Republican senators received a private briefing from Makary, only to leave more convinced than ever "that this safety study is a dead end," as Hawley put it. "I just think that [the] FDA is not serious about it. I don't think that they're proceeding with any sense of urgency whatsoever."

When news of Makary's resignation broke, Hawley called the news "welcome," declaring that "Dr. Makary was uniquely destructive to the prolife movement. He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He slow- walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone. He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when the data shows it sends one in 10 women to the emergency room. He froze out prolife leaders and repeatedly stonewalled Congress."

In recent weeks, the FDA also faced legal challenges to its chemical abortion stance. In early April, a federal judge in Louisiana gave the Trump administration a deadline to report on the progress of the review. On May 1, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision that blocked the mailing of abortion drugs across state lines. The Supreme Court briefly placed that ruling on hold while it considered an appeal, and on Monday it extended that hold by a further three days, suggesting a ruling of some kind was imminent.

In the interim, Makary was pushed out, reportedly on the orders of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Until his ouster, Makary continued to work as if everything were normal, FDA staff said, with public appearances scheduled throughout the week.

President Trump had kind words for Makary after his resignation. In a Truth Social post, Trump praised his "great job at the FDA" and said "much was accomplished under his leadership. He was a hard worker, who was respected by all, and will go on to have an outstanding career in Medicine." In remarks to the media, Trump said Makary was a "great guy" and "a great doctor, and he was having some difficulty, but he's going to go on, and he's going to do well."

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that President Trump had "signed off on a plan to fire" Makary. When asked on Friday about Makary's looming departure, Trump said, "I know nothing about it."

The Journal suggested that "Trump recently became frustrated with Makary for not moving fast enough to approve flavored vapes and other nicotine products." In February, Trump urged the FDA to approve fruit-flavored vapes from manufacturer Glas. Makary initially refused, worrying that blueberry- and mango-flavored vapes would encourage youth vaping. After pressure from Trump, he authorized the vapes.

More broadly, Makary's tenure at the FDA made him few friends. He oversaw significant departures of longtime senior staff at the agency, and his leadership has provoked significant complaints from rank-and-file employees. Makary could survive such controversy while he had Trump's backing, but without the support of Trump or Trump's base, he had few allies left. "What a mess Makary turned out to be," an anonymous Trump administration official griped to Fox News Digital earlier this month. His action and words convinced "every pro-life advocate their concerns are an afterthought."

However, Makary's temporary replacement is not likely to win the Trump administration any applause from pro-lifers.

FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Kyle Diamantis will serve as acting commissioner after Makary's departure. Late Tuesday, pro-life activists noted that Diamantis was formerly listed in court records as legal counsel for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando. TWS located two of those legal opinions. In "Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, Inc. v. MMB Properties," Diamantis is named as an attorney for Planned Parenthood in court documents from October 5, 2015, February 23, 2017, and April 13, 2017, according to documents reviewed by TWS.

"We cannot allow someone who represented Planned Parenthood to oversee rules surrounding the deadly abortion pill mifepristone that has killed MILLIONS of babies," insisted Live Action President and Founder Lila Rose. "@realDonaldTrump, we need a strong pro-life nominee to replace him IMMEDIATELY." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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