Some officials at the Food and Drug Administration are considering a quick exit Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presented as a potential health care professional in the incoming Trump administration, according to three former and one current administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely about sensitive issues. Former officials still keep in touch with colleagues who work at the FDA.
Staff turnover is typical when a new administration takes office, and a significant number of FDA employees are similarly considering leaving before President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, one former and one current official said. At the time, there were also concerns about what the FDA would look like under the first Trump administration.
It resulted in “relatively little turnover,” one former official said, adding that Trump’s first term generally worked out well for those remaining at the FDA because they were able to “execute” new priorities for the agency. , like accelerated drug approvals.
But this time there’s an extra layer of concern beyond Trump: Kennedy.
“With the first administration, more people took a wait-and-see approach. Now, amid concerns about new after-hours restrictions and the risk of forced separation, more people are actively looking,” said one former official.
The current official agreed with that assessment, adding that “dozens” are likely considering their options.
Not yet known What kind of health role Kennedy will be in the administration — if there is one — but Trump said he would allow the former independent presidential candidate and vaccine skeptic to “brutalize his health care.” Meanwhile, Kennedy is promising a shakeup at federal health agencies, including the FDA. He spoke to NBC News the day after the election “In some categories, like the nutrition department at the FDA, there are entire departments that have to go.”
“The question now is, will the agency have leadership that can come in and continue to develop innovative new products, or will it have leadership that tries to shake things up in a way that can make it difficult for the agency? fulfills its main mission?” said one of the former officials.
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment on whether the employees were considering leaving.
One former official and one current official said it’s all talk right now, and it’s unclear if anyone is still going or has serious plans to do so.
At a cancer research event Tuesday, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said he was “disappointed” by the election results and uncertain about the agency’s future.
Asked if he foresees any “mass exodus” of workers, Califf said, “I think people are waiting to see.”
“We just don’t know what’s going to happen right now,” Califf said. “I think from everything that’s been said, the essence of this administration is to change a lot of things, and how it changes depends on who gets put in key positions and how different policies play out.”
Trump also suggested that government officials leaving the agency could seek to end the so-called revolving door of lobbying by former colleagues — raising additional concerns for employees about their future job prospects if one remains.
Another said they weren’t sure what such a restriction would look like or whether Trump would make it retroactively binding.
A number of FDA employees are ready to retire, and “some may think now would be a good time to do so,” one person said. The FDA has more than 18,000 employees to the agency.
It is also possible that Kennedy will be placed in a role with little or no influence on the FDA’s overall operations.
Last month, NBC News reported that the Trump campaign was considering giving Kennedy the lead in what was described as “Operation Warp Speed for Childhood Chronic Diseases,” a reference to the title of Trump’s first-term Covid vaccine development project.
Kennedy also suggested that the White House would become a “healthcare czar.”