# Cato’s Dr. Singer Responds to FDA Administrator Makary’s Resignation 

Today, FDA Administrator Dr. Marty Makary announced his resignation from the agency.

May 12, 2026 • News Releases 

Today, FDA Administrator Dr. Marty Makary announced his resignation from the agency. After this announcement, [Dr. Jeff Singer](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https://zwly9k6z.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:*2F*2Fwww.cato.org*2Fpeople*2Fjeffrey-singer/1/0100019e1d8f962a-3cb9962b-1fbc-40b7-8e12-86902e9bc90b-000000/HYrHlWkSIfrGxOz0x_awQsYLmL8=473___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOjZiNmE1MjJkN2ZjNTRkNDk2MzljNjhhMGYyMzA2OWQ1Ojc6OTBlYjowMTkzNzExZmE2OTk0ODAzMTQ2ZmZjNmYwZWNjMzkzMWRjODhmNjNmZDA4ZjVjMjZjZGU2ZmJiNjVmOGIxNjlkOmg6VDpO), a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, released the following statement:

> *“Dr. Makary brought a needed skepticism toward bureaucratic inertia at the FDA and often showed a willingness to challenge regulatory orthodoxy. As a fellow surgeon and longtime advocate for greater transparency and market-oriented reform in health care, I appreciated his efforts to reduce unnecessary barriers to innovation and patient access, though I sometimes wished those efforts had gone further.*
> 
> *“During his tenure, he challenged many of medicine’s blind spots, though he also had some of his own—particularly on issues such as vaping, kratom, 7‑OH, and opioid policy, where I often disagreed with him. Still, I have always regarded him as someone willing to question entrenched assumptions, a quality that is increasingly rare in modern health policy.”*

To speak with Dr. Singer about Dr. Makary’s departure, contact [Christopher Tarvardian](mailto:ctarvardian@cato.org).

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