By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Second resignation: RFK Jr.’s top spokesperson resigns over flavored vape policy fight
- FDA turmoil: Departure follows resignation of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary
- Policy clash: Internal battle centers on flavored ENDS authorizations and youth concerns
The political and regulatory fight over flavored vaping products within the Trump administration is escalating rapidly, with another senior health official resigning over the issue just one day after FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stepped down.
Rich Danker, chief spokesperson for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Department of Health and Human Services, resigned Wednesday in protest against efforts to expand sales of flavored vaping products in the United States.
In a resignation letter first obtained by The New York Times, Danker warned that expanding flavored e-cigarette authorizations could increase youth nicotine use and expose children to addiction and health risks.
“Senior HHS officials in the immediate office of the secretary have in recent months sought U.S. Food and Drug Administration marketing approval of e-cigarette flavors that would appeal to children and expose them to nicotine addiction, lung damage and higher risk of cancer,” Danker wrote.
Importantly, Danker did not directly criticize either President Donald Trump or Kennedy in the letter. Instead, he pointed to unnamed senior officials within HHS who he said were pushing the policy changes.
The resignation comes amid mounting reports of internal divisions over nicotine regulation within the administration, particularly after the FDA recently moved toward authorizing additional flavored vaping products and signaled a broader enforcement shift affecting electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products already progressing through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process.
Danker specifically cited a new FDA policy posted last week, stating that the agency would continue removing illicit vaping products while allowing certain products already under review to remain on the market. According to reports, Makary opposed broader authorizations for flavored vapes and attempted to slow or block some approvals before ultimately being overruled.
The White House and the FDA have not publicly confirmed the extent of those internal disputes, but recent reporting has increasingly pointed to growing political pressure tied to Trump’s campaign promises on vaping policy and adult nicotine consumers. The administration’s evolving position has drawn criticism from some public health groups and former FDA officials, who argue that flavored products could increase youth use.
At the same time, parts of the nicotine industry view the recent moves as a long-overdue shift toward a more functional PMTA framework, following years of regulatory bottlenecks and widespread unauthorized-market growth. Danker’s departure also deepens instability within federal health leadership.
With Makary’s resignation earlier this week, HHS now faces multiple major vacancies, including unfilled positions for the surgeon general and the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Danker is the second HHS communications chief to leave during Kennedy’s tenure. Former assistant secretary for public affairs Thomas Corry resigned earlier in the administration after disagreements over Kennedy’s handling of a measles outbreak in Texas.
