FDA Commissioner Marty McCulley Resigns, Diamantas Takes Over

The White House has announced that Marty McCulley, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has resigned effective immediately, just a day prior to his scheduled appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“President Trump, please accept my resignation as of today. During my term, I announced 50 major FDA reforms, while the Biden administration’s FDA made none. We shortened the review period for drugs from a year to as little as one to two months. We’ve made significant changes to the labeling of estrogen, creating new guidelines for healthcare professionals, and introducing a new ‘plausible mechanism’ pathway for drugs treating rare diseases,” McCulley shared on Truth Social. He added, “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as FDA Commissioner, and I am forever grateful.”

Kyle Diamantas, the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner, has been appointed as Acting Commissioner, while still fulfilling his duties as Deputy Secretary for Human Foods, a role he has held since early 2025. In his new position, Diamantas will oversee drug and device regulation alongside food safety and nutrition programs.

Diamantas acts as a key liaison between the FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House. He brings regulatory law expertise, previously working at Jones Day focusing on compliance in the food and beverage sector.

McCulley’s resignation is seen as a response to mounting pressure from conservative supporters who were unhappy with the FDA’s direction under his leadership, particularly concerning controversial regulatory decisions.

For pro-life advocates, the heart of the issue has been related to mifepristone, a medication commonly used in early abortions. Critics have pressed the FDA to overturn the Biden administration’s policy that allows online prescriptions and mailing of the drug. Despite calls for change, McCulley decided to maintain the expanded access protocols.

Last year’s approval of a new generic version of mifepristone was particularly contentious, with many critics interpreting it as a move that contradicted the expected dismantling of certain policies.

This clash of policies, combined with disagreements over the approval of flavored e-cigarettes and other disputes with health officials, led to McCulley’s resignation after just over a year in office, according to sources.

“President Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services must end this issue now, fire Secretary McCulley, end mail-order abortion programs, and remove these child-killing drugs from the market,” stated Lyla Rose, President of Live Action, before McCulley’s resignation.

Also, Republican lawmakers criticized McCulley for not making public his promised safety review of mifepristone, which he had pledged during the approval process. Although he had committed to reviewing the drug’s safety profile, the findings have yet to be disclosed. Reports suggest that McCulley directed officials to delay releasing these results until after the upcoming midterm elections.

“What a disaster McCulley was,” remarked a Trump administration official, adding that his actions conveyed to pro-life advocates that their concerns were not a priority.

Following the announcement, President Trump expressed his gratitude for McCulley, stating, “I would like to thank Dr. Marty McCulley for the great work he has done at the FDA. Much has been accomplished under his leadership. He is a hard worker, respected by all, and will continue to have a great career in medicine. The extremely talented Kyle Diamantas will be stepping into the acting position.”