Trump Freezes FDA Hiring, Suspends New FDA Regulations

On the administration’s first full workday Monday, President Donald Trump froze federal hiring for most agencies, leaving the FDA with hundreds of job vacancies out of its workforce of approximately 15,000.

A common move in the first days of any new administration, the freeze puts the agency at odds with the 21st Century Cures Act provision to accelerate hiring and authorizing the FDA to spend up to $20 million in fiscal 2017. The length of Trump’s hiring freeze is uncertain.

On Friday, the White House ordered the FDA and other federal agencies to halt any new regulations or guidances until they can be reviewed by Trump administration appointees. It also temporarily postponed regulations that were published before Jan. 20 but did not take effect immediately.

The FDA released more than 25 final and draft guidances in the last two weeks of the Obama administration — including four related to devices.