Dr. Peter Marks, the former FDA vaccine chief, was forced to resign after he refused to grant unfettered access to the VAERS vaccine safety database to political operatives linked to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., citing concerns over data manipulation. This move highlights an instance where political pressure compromised scientific integrity and transparency at the agency.

An opinion piece from Fox News by Food Babe Vani Hari criticizes the FDA’s longstanding, outdated regulatory practices that have allowed corporate interests to compromise public health, calling for a fundamental overhaul of the agency.

Top vaccine regulators, including the forced resignation of Dr. Peter Marks, have been removed amid sweeping layoffs at the FDA’s CBER division. The departures, reportedly driven by political interference in the wake of mass HHS reorganizations, threaten the agency’s ability to approve new vaccines and drugs and raise concerns about compromised regulatory integrity.

Dozens of staff at the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, including its director Brian King, were placed on leave as part of HHS's restructuring of anti-smoking programs. The move, part of the 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative, is raising concerns about the future of effective tobacco control and public health research.

Amid a politically motivated wave of layoffs targeting public health agencies, the FDA’s communications and web office was eliminated as part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration, impairing the agency’s transparency and undermining worker rights.

In a politically charged restructuring at the Department of Health and Human Services, thousands of federal health workers—including key personnel at the FDA—are losing their jobs. The dramatic downsizing, driven by the Trump administration’s agenda, has led to resignations such as that of Peter Marks from the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, raising concerns over the erosion of scientific integrity and worker rights.

Amid sweeping HHS restructuring aligned with President Trump's executive order, the FDA is facing severe downsizing, including mass layoffs that have resulted in significant loss of institutional knowledge. Former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf criticized the changes, suggesting that the agency's traditional expertise is being dismantled in favor of politically driven cost-cutting measures, including cuts to DEI spending.

FDA's top vaccine official, Peter Marks, resigned after being given the choice to do so or face termination, citing concerns over HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s promotion of vaccine misinformation that undermines public health and transparency.

Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA's top vaccine regulator, resigned amid claims of political pressure from Secretary Kennedy, who was accused of sidelining scientific transparency in favor of a politicized narrative that undermines public health.

Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, resigned amid claims of political pressure and misinformation under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership. The resignation, reportedly forced rather than voluntary, raises concerns about a shift away from scientific transparency and public accountability within the agency.

Dr. Peter Marks, a senior FDA official who played a key role in COVID-19 vaccine development, resigned citing pressure from the Trump administration and a culture of misinformation propagated by HHS Secretary RFK Jr. In his resignation letter, Marks decried the erosion of scientific truth and transparency, signaling a clear stand against authoritarian interference in public health policy.

On March 20, 2025, the FDA, in collaboration with HHS, unveiled the Chemical Contaminants Transparency Tool, an online searchable database that consolidates contaminant levels in foods to aid public understanding of chemical exposure risks. This initiative is part of a broader effort to promote radical transparency in food safety and empower consumers with critical information.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directs the FDA to explore potential rulemaking aimed at tightening oversight of the chemical additives in food by closing a decades-old loophole in the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) process.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the acting FDA commissioner to explore rulemaking that would eliminate the self-affirm GRAS pathway, a move designed to enhance transparency and ensure safer food ingredient oversight.

The February 19, 2025 executive order, aimed at expanding agency heads’ discretionary powers through the creation of DOGE Teams, risks transforming regulatory bodies like the FDA into instruments for selective enforcement and political control. This move is seen as part of a broader authoritarian strategy that undermines democratic safeguards and independent oversight.

The FDA detailed its multi-pronged strategy to address supply chain vulnerabilities for critical drugs, medical devices, and food products by working with federal partners, industry, and international agencies, while promoting advanced manufacturing and regulatory flexibility to protect vulnerable populations.

The FDA is addressing longstanding challenges in funding and technical infrastructure by developing an active postmarket surveillance system for medical devices, a move that enhances public safety oversight and transparency.

The FDA is launching an active postmarket surveillance system to monitor the safety and performance of medical devices, a move that strengthens public oversight and accountability in regulatory practices.

In 2024, 400 clients lobbied the FDA, raising concerns about potential regulatory capture and the undue influence of corporate interests on a key public health agency. This event highlights vulnerabilities that may contribute to broader authoritarian tendencies by prioritizing private influence over public welfare.

Since 2013, the FDA has been implementing the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) to enhance the security and traceability of the drug supply chain. This regulatory action aims to detect and remove dangerous drugs—including counterfeit, stolen, contaminated, or otherwise harmful products—from reaching patients, using interoperable electronic tracing systems.

A study analyzing FDA recalls from 2012 to 2019 found that firms engaging in lobbying activities received more favorable, less severe recall classifications. This suggests regulatory capture, where the agency's decisions may be unduly influenced by corporate lobbying efforts rather than public safety considerations.

A study published on 2023-06-20 finds that between 2012 and 2019, firms engaging in lobbying received more favorable (i.e., less severe) recall classifications from the FDA, particularly for food recalls. This suggests that corporate lobbying may be undermining the agency's impartiality and public health responsibilities.

Data from OpenSecrets shows that 1,249 lobbyists engaged with the Food and Drug Administration in 2023, raising concerns over potential regulatory capture and undue private influence on policy decisions.

The OpenSecrets profile reveals that in 2023, 299 clients actively lobbied the FDA, raising concerns over potential regulatory capture and undue corporate influence on critical public health oversight.

Amid mounting evidence of political interference in emergency use authorization processes and other regulatory functions, FDA leadership—exemplified by Commissioner Stephen Hahn—has publicly reassured that they will not tolerate meddling in their technical and regulatory activities. However, critics note that these defensive measures have been largely symbolic and constrained by external political pressures.

Six former FDA scientists have filed a lawsuit alleging that the agency's management monitored their computers and emails to suppress whistleblower reports concerning dangerous radiological medical devices approved in 2009.