Due to the Trump administration's extensive reductions in the federal health workforce, the top tobacco regulator at the Food and Drug Administration has stepped down from his position. This departure is part of a broader, large-scale effort to restructure the federal health sector by removing numerous high-ranking experts responsible for overseeing critical areas such as pharmaceuticals, food safety, vaccines, and tobacco products.
According to the Associated Press, Brian King, the Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, informed his staff about his removal from the agency through an internal email, stating:
It is with a heavy heart and profound disappointment that I share I have been placed on administrative leave.Brian King
On Tuesday morning, dozens of employees at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products received dismissal notices, including two entire departments responsible for developing new tobacco regulations and policies.
Mitch Zeller, the former FDA tobacco chief said in an interview:
If you make it virtually impossible to create and draft policy, then you are eviscerating the role of the center.Mitch Zeller
During Brian King’s tenure, the FDA denied applications for millions of flavored e-cigarettes, citing a lack of sufficient evidence proving they would aid adult smokers without appealing to underage users. These mass rejections sparked a wave of legal challenges against the agency, with several vaping companies filing lawsuits one of which reached the Supreme Court for arguments in December.