White House Pushes FDA Aide to Resign, Heightening Tensions with Commissioner

The White House has requested the resignation of Sanjula Jain-Nagpal, a senior aide to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, marking a deepening rift between the administration and FDA leadership. The request was made on November 21 and confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Jain-Nagpal, who serves as associate director of policy and research strategy, joined the FDA in April 2025 after a tenure as a Johns Hopkins University professor. She frequently appears on Commissioner Makary’s “FDA Direct” podcast, making her exit a significant challenge to his authority.

Reports indicate the White House did not approve her promotion and instead sought her removal, escalating tensions between FDA leadership and senior HHS officials. The situation follows other recent agency changes, including the appointment of oncologist Richard Pazdur to a key drug review role, replacing George Tidmarsh, who resigned earlier this month amid personal conduct concerns.

This sequence of events underscores ongoing leadership struggles and internal conflicts within the FDA as it navigates high-level personnel disputes and regulatory challenges.