{"id":4516,"date":"2025-04-24T19:30:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/24\/new-fda-chief-martin-makary-says-doge-cuts-havent-hit-science-staff\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T19:30:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:30:21","slug":"new-fda-chief-martin-makary-says-doge-cuts-havent-hit-science-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/24\/new-fda-chief-martin-makary-says-doge-cuts-havent-hit-science-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"New FDA Chief Martin Makary Says DOGE Cuts Haven\u2019t Hit Science Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Martin Makary was sworn in as Commissioner of the FDA on April 1. AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Martin Makary<\/a>, the newly sworn-in commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said funding cuts initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have not impacted the agency\u2019s core scientific staff. Speaking at Semafor\u2019s World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C. today (April 24), Makary reaffirmed his commitment to leading the FDA with \u201cgold standard science\u201d and \u201ccommon sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Trump administration\u2019s cost-cutting campaign has eliminated approximately 3,500 jobs at the FDA. Makary clarified that the cuts were largely concentrated in the agency\u2019s communications, IT, legislative, and policy teams. \u201cNone of the cuts were to scientific reviewers or inspectors,\u201d he said during an onstage conversation with PBS anchor Amna Nawaz<\/a>, noting that the agency continues to prioritize faster drug approvals.<\/p>\n

Makary pointed out that the FDA\u2019s headcount had doubled over the past two decades, standing at around 19,000 employees before the latest cuts. That growth, he said, led to administrative silos and inefficiencies\u2014making some reductions necessary.<\/p>\n

One particularly controversial termination was Peter Marks<\/a>, the FDA\u2019s top vaccine regulator for over eight years. Marks, who served as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and played a central role in the accelerated development of COVID-19 vaccines during Trump\u2019s first term, said he was forced out<\/a> by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/p>\n

Marks\u2019 removal has sparked concerns about the administration\u2019s stance on vaccines. Earlier this month, HHS issued a pointed statement: if Marks \u201cdoes not want to get behind restoring science to its golden standard and promoting radical transparency, then he has no place at FDA under the strong leadership of Secretary Kennedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Makary pushed back on the characterization of Marks as a vaccine expert, pointing out that his background is in hematology (which studies blood-related diseases), not vaccinology. \u201cHe was overseeing a division that houses the vaccine research center,\u201d Makary said, adding that Marks had previously pushed out two senior scientists\u2014Marion Gruber and Philip Krause\u2014over disagreements on Covid-19 booster recommendations for children. \u201cSo, the irony that he\u2019s the top vaccine expert is that he pushed out two top career scientists at the vaccine center,\u201d Makary added.<\/p>\n

Makary reiterated his stance on vaccines: \u201cVaccines save lives, and any death from a vaccine-preventable illness is a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, he has criticized the agency\u2019s pandemic-era approach, particularly regarding quarantine and vaccine recommendations for children. \u201cThe worst thing you can do as a doctor is to put out a recommendation with such absolutism when the reality is that data is very fuzzy or there\u2019s no data,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Before his public service appointment, Makary was a professor at Johns Hopkins University specializing in surgical oncology and gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgery. He is widely recognized for co-developing the surgical safety checklist and for founding the Johns Hopkins Center for Surgical Trials and Outcomes Research.<\/p>\n

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