UPDATE Scott Gottlieb, Food & Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner who has been commuting to Washington from his Westport home, is resigning, he said today.
Scott Gottlieb delivers his opening statement at his confirmation hearing in April 2017. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo from C-SPAN
“I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency, for the support of my colleagues, for the public health goals we advanced together, and the strong support of [HHS Sec. Alex Azar] and [President] Trump,” he wrote on Twitter. “This has been a wonderful journey and parting is very hard.”
The Washington Post was first to report that Gottlieb is stepping down to spend more time with his family. He told The New York Times he was weary from the Westport to Washington commute and said his resignation will be effective at the end of the month.
“The 46-year-old physician, millionaire venture capitalist and cancer survivor known for a self-assured, sometimes brash, manner lives in Westport, with his wife and three daughters – nine-year-old twins and a five-year-old,” the Post said.
“I should have moved them down at the outset, but it’s too late to do that now,” Gottlieb said of his family at an appearance at an event at the Newseum in downtown Washington, the Washington Examiner reported.
Gottlieb, who joined the agency in 2017, became known for cracking down on the e-cigarette industry amid what he described as an “epidemic” of teen use.
His actions drew scrutiny from conservatives who said he was going too far.
An FDA rule that would limit the sales of flavored e-cigarettes, which he says are attractive to kids, is under review at the White House.
The Post quoted a senior White House official as saying Gottlieb had spoken to the president, who liked the FDA chief and did not want him to leave.
“While Gottlieb had some policy disagreements with the White House, he is well respected, and could be invited back to another post, two officials said,” the Post reported.
“The move came as a surprise to some FDA officials because he has recently hired senior staff and was aggressively pushing a host of new initiatives.”
The newspaper noted that Gottlieb has been a frequent user of social media, tweeting on everything from policy pronouncements to updates on the government shutdown to safe cooking tips.
“He raises chickens in his back yard and appeared on the cover of Backyard Poultry in the fall of 2017,” the Post said.
President Trump tweeted: “Scott Gottlieb, who has done an absolutely terrific job as Commissioner of the FDA, plans to leave government service sometime next month….
“….Scott has helped us to lower drug prices, get a record number of generic drugs approved and onto the market, and so many other things. He and his talents will be greatly missed!”
