markdown

FDA Leadership Shake‑Up: Hoeg’s Possible Exit Amid Wider Reshuffle

The acting chief of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s drug center, Tracey Beth Hoeg, is likely to step down shortly after the resignation of Commissioner Marty Makary, according to insiders familiar with agency plans.
Hoeg—an epidemiologist and former sports doctor known for questioning COVID‑19 vaccines—guided the agency’s effort to reduce childhood shots from 17 to 11 earlier this year. Those changes stalled when a lawsuit challenged the new schedule under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy.

The agency has not yet confirmed Hoeg’s departure, and she was unavailable for comment. The move comes amid a broader reshuffle as the White House tightens its grip on health policy. Recent polls suggest that Kennedy’s attempts to rewrite vaccine rules could backfire during the upcoming midterm elections, which will decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress.

Following Makary’s exit, the White House appointed Chris Klomp as Kennedy’s second‑in‑command. Klomp has already begun replacing controversial appointees with more conventional choices for top health roles, including the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Surgeon General. Sources say he is also targeting lower‑level FDA officials for replacement.

Several staffers who joined under Makary are expected to leave, such as chief of staff Jim Traficant, deputy chief of staff Samuel Doran, and associate director of policy and research strategy Sanjula Jain‑Nagpal. None of the three has responded to requests for comment.

The FDA’s leadership changes reflect a broader effort by the administration to align its health agencies with traditional policy priorities. Whether these shifts will ease voter concerns about vaccine policy remains to be seen as the agency moves forward.