Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary told Newsmax on Tuesday that the wave of resignations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention marks a turning point for public health, with the agency finally returning to what he called "gold standard science and common sense."
"This is a new day at the CDC," Makary told "Greg Kelly Reports," arguing that the agency under the Biden administration lost credibility by touting school closures during COVID-19, promoting cloth masks for toddlers, and recommending endless vaccine boosters while ignoring natural immunity.
"Americans showed up in high numbers to vote for President [Donald] Trump over gold-standard science and common sense," he said. "No longer are we going to tolerate science as political propaganda."
Makary pointed to policies such as labeling pregnant women "birthing persons" and the refusal to call monkeypox a sexually transmitted infection as examples of political correctness that undermined public trust.
He said the recent resignations of CDC Director Susan Monarez after disputes with leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services over vaccine guidance, and other senior officials were long overdue.
"The CDC belongs to the American people, not to entrenched bureaucrats," he said, adding that public confidence in doctors and hospitals fell 30 percentage points during the Biden administration because of "the arrogance and the use of science as political propaganda."
Turning to the FDA, Makary said his agency has already taken steps to rebuild trust. He highlighted the FDA's decision to limit COVID-19 boosters to high-risk individuals and require pharmaceutical companies to produce new clinical trial data before releasing updated vaccines. That change, he said, effectively makes vaccine mandates legally impossible.
"We want the answer as to whether or not the updated strain vaccines are even necessary," Makary said. "Most Americans say no, and 85% of healthcare workers declined the last COVID booster."
Despite some bureaucratic resistance, Makary said the prevailing mood at the health agencies is one of rejuvenation.
"There's a bright sense of optimism right now," he said. "You're going to see our new process to approve drugs deliver some amazing cures and meaningful treatments. In the next few months, and in this year, you're going to see some amazing movement in what was otherwise a very calcified bureaucracy."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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