U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates food, drugs, vaccines and medical devices, and sits within the Department of Health and Human Services. Entries naming it from 2025 onward record the handling and publication of its own scientific findings, changes to its staffing, and the discharge of statutory duties.
2026 Events (2)
FDA blocked publication of its own studies finding COVID-19 and shingles vaccines safe
On May 5, 2026, reporting revealed that FDA officials had blocked the publication of completed agency research concluding that the COVID-19 and shingles vaccines were safe. The findings contradicted the vaccine-skeptical stance of the current HHS and FDA leadership. The suppression was first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by additional outlets.
FDA authorized flavored e-cigarettes without required public-comment period, bypassing its own career staff
On May 5, 2026, the FDA finalized enforcement-discretion guidance authorizing four flavored Glas e-cigarette products, skipping the legally required draft-guidance and public-comment period; FDA career staff were not consulted and learned of the change the night before publication. The action followed a $5 million donation from a Reynolds American subsidiary to the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. and a Mar-a-Lago lunch with Trump and Reynolds executives days earlier.
2025 Events (2)
FDA halted FERN's Proficiency Testing Program, cutting pathogen-screening quality checks for 170 labs, citing staff cuts
On April 17, 2025, the FDA suspended the Proficiency Testing Program under the Food Emergency Response Network, which provided quality-control testing used by roughly 170 laboratories nationwide to screen for pathogens and contaminants, including Cyclospora in spinach and glyphosate residue in barley. The agency attributed the suspension to staffing shortages following earlier rounds of cuts.
FDA suspended a program improving bird-flu testing reliability across 40+ labs, citing its own staff cuts
On April 3, 2025, the FDA suspended its Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise for detecting Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a program improving testing reliability across more than 40 laboratories screening dairy products and pet food for H5N1. The agency's own suspension notice to participating labs attributed the halt to staff cuts in FDA's Human Food Program made earlier that year.