Former FDA employee on leaving the agency and fears over 2025 organizational changes
By
Stephanie Springer, as told to C&EN
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
A former FDA employee shares their personal story of working at the agency, why they ultimately left, and expresses deep concern about organizational changes and layoffs that began in 2025. The author worries these changes will undermine the FDA's ability to fulfill its crucial public health mission, drawing on their firsthand experience to highlight the risks posed to the agency's independence, scientific integrity, and effectiveness.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledI left the FDA because I could no longer in good conscience remain part of an institution I believed was being systematically dismantled.
The layoffs that began in 2025 are not just about cutting costs — they are about cutting the agency's ability to do its job.
What I saw from the inside was an agency under siege, stripped of the expertise and independence that made it the gold standard for public health protection worldwide.
The American people have no idea how close we are to losing the very safeguards that keep our food safe and our medicines effective.
I fear for the future of the FDA because I know what it takes to protect the public — and I know what happens when that protection is taken away.
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