"Ahead of the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that, per people familiar with the matter, Trump has officially signed off on a plan to fire Makary, amid controversy on how the commissioner's handled abortion, drug policies, and vaping. (When asked by the WSJ about this plan, Trump- pulling a Mike Johnson-said: "I know nothing.") The report's since been corroborated by multiple other outlets, including Politico, which reported that Makary's potential ousting was the "culmination of a campaign" conducted by senior leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services."
"Much of the frustration towards Makary has been over his reported slow-walking on curtailing-or rather, eliminating-access to mifepristone, the first of two pills taken in a medication abortion. (Amid the coming midterms, generally, the administration has been awkward about targeting abortion access-especially given most Americans on both sides of the aisle support reproductive rights.)"
"A little over a year ago, Makary received a letter from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), amplifying a bogus "study" by the far-right think tank Ethics and Public Policy Center, claiming mifepristone is unsafe. (This "study" was not actually a study, but a data analysis. It was never peer-reviewed, it was published by a far-right think tank with ties to Project 2025, and it's been denounced by over 200 experts.) Makary agreed to look into the pill in June, and officially launched a re-review in September."
"In December, however, Bloomberg reported that Makary was dragging his feet on releasing the results until after the midterms. This dawdling brought forth first some pick-me letters from Hawley... before the senat"
Reports say Trump approved a plan to remove FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, with other outlets citing a campaign by senior Health and Human Services leaders. Criticism centers on alleged delays in restricting access to mifepristone, a medication used in abortion. A year earlier, Sen. Josh Hawley sent Makary a letter referencing a far-right think tank’s non-peer-reviewed “study” claiming mifepristone is unsafe, and Makary agreed to review the issue. Makary launched a re-review in September, but later reporting indicated results were being withheld until after midterms. The delay prompted additional pressure from Hawley and others.
Read at Jezebel
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