Three former FDA commissioners — Rob Califf, Scott Gottlieb, and Ned Sharpless — used the STAT Summit to deliver a blunt assessment of the agency's recent turmoil. Califf called the Elon Musk-led DOGE initiative "one of the biggest disasters in American history," a sentiment echoed by his colleagues. They pointed to the loss of 3,500 workers through DOGE cuts and a larger exodus under former Commissioner Marty Makary as a blow to institutional memory that will take years to restore.
The panelists agreed that the agency may be stabilizing with the departure of certain high-profile officials and the arrival of acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas and policy lead Grace Graham. Gottlieb said leadership now seems "sensible" and focused on "back to the basics." But they stressed that rebuilding is not just about rehiring. Gottlieb's advice to nominee Heidi Overton, if confirmed, was simple: "Recruit, support, and defend the workforce."
They also warned that public trust remains fragile. Sharpless cited pandemic-era communication errors around vaccines, while Califf said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is "actively still eroding public confidence." Califf added that distrust also stems from high drug prices, noting that biotech executives rarely acknowledge costs. All three urged the FDA to stick to its statutory mission of ensuring safe and effective medicine rather than trying to solve broader policy problems.