Former FDA officials blast DOGE as ‘one of the biggest disasters in American history’

Former FDA commissioners Rob Califf, Scott Gottlieb and Ned Sharpless criticized DOGE at the STAT Summit, calling the Musk-led initiative's cuts of 3,500 workers "one of the biggest disasters in American history" and saying the resulting loss of institutional knowledge will take years to rebuild. Marty Makary resigned as commissioner in May, and White House official Heidi Overton has been nominated to replace him but has not faced a Senate confirmation vote. The ex-officials said acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas and policy lead Grace Graham are restoring rational decision-making, and advised Overton to recruit, support and defend the workforce if confirmed.