FDA Commissioner Martin Makary has resigned, capping a turbulent 13 months in which the nation's top drug regulator went to war with imported vapes — and ultimately lost a fight with the White House over whether adults should be able to buy flavored e-cigarettes. His exit, reported in mid-May 2026, removes one of the vaping industry's loudest critics from the FDA's top job.
What happened
Makary stepped down following reports that President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had decided to remove him. According to POLITICO, it was Kennedy who made the final call. FDA food regulator Kyle Diamantas is serving as acting commissioner until a permanent replacement is named, per vaping news outlet Vaping360.
The flashpoint was flavor policy. FDA Center for Tobacco Products scientists had recommended authorizing the age-gated Glas G2 pod system, including blueberry and mango flavors. Makary blocked the flavored pods. The White House, eager to deliver on Trump's promise to “save vaping,” pushed back, and after Trump reportedly got involved, Makary relented — the Glas flavors were authorized in early May 2026, the FDA's first-ever clearance of non-tobacco, non-menthol vape flavors. Days later, Makary was gone.
Why it matters
Makary's FDA was aggressive. During his tenure the agency seized imported e-cigarettes in record numbers — including an $86.5 million haul billed as the largest-ever operation — and teamed with the ATF and U.S. Marshals to run armed raids on vape distributors. It also issued more than 40 marketing denial orders against U.S.-made vaping products before quietly ending the practice of publicly listing them.
So the man who championed that crackdown leaving over a pro-flavor decision tells you which way the political winds are blowing. The administration has signaled it wants more authorized products on the market, not fewer — and it was willing to push out its own FDA chief to get there.
What this means for vapers
Don't expect the shelves to change overnight. The vast majority of disposables and flavored products on the U.S. market still lack FDA authorization, and enforcement against illegal imports hasn't stopped. But the direction of travel matters: with a pro-authorization White House and a more cooperative FDA, the pathway for legitimate flavored products may widen over the coming year. The Glas approval is the first crack in a door that had been welded shut.
For now, the smart play is the same as ever — buy from retailers who keep up with what's authorized and compliant, and watch for more brands clearing the FDA bar.
“He will not be missed by a single career person,” one FDA staffer told POLITICO, “and we will only regret it when they manage to find someone worse.”
The bottom line
Makary's resignation closes a chapter defined by raids, seizures, and denial orders — and opens one shaped by a White House that wants vaping “saved.” Whether his successor follows through on broader flavor authorizations is the question that will define the market in 2026. We'll keep tracking who's next at the FDA and what it means for the products you can actually buy.
