MxM News

Quick Hit:

Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, the No. 2 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who served as acting director during the COVID-19 pandemic, has abruptly resigned. His departure follows a broader shakeup at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Key Details:

• Tabak, 73, spent 25 years at the NIH, serving as the agency’s principal deputy director since 2010 and acting director during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• He was heavily scrutinized by Republicans for his role in pandemic-related decision-making and congressional probes into the origins of COVID-19.
• His resignation comes amid Trump’s restructuring of HHS, with potential firings and budget cuts within the agency.

Diving Deeper:

Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, the longtime No. 2 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has abruptly resigned from government service, effective February 11, 2025. Tabak, who served as acting director of the NIH during key periods—including the COVID-19 pandemic—announced his departure in an internal email to staff earlier this week. His resignation letter did not provide an explanation for his decision to step down.

The timing of Tabak’s exit coincides with a significant shakeup at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH’s parent agency, under President Donald Trump’s leadership. Reports suggest that the administration is implementing budget cuts and potential mass firings within the agency, aligning with Trump’s broader efforts to overhaul Washington’s bureaucratic institutions.

Tabak was a key figure during the pandemic, frequently appearing alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci and former NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins in congressional hearings. Republican lawmakers repeatedly grilled him over the agency’s handling of COVID-19 policies, including controversial guidance on lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and research funding linked to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

He also played a role in shaping the early COVID-19 origin narrative. GOP-led investigations revealed that Tabak was part of a confidential call with Fauci, Collins, and other prominent scientists in early 2020—an event that critics argue helped suppress the lab-leak theory. House Republicans have accused Tabak and his colleagues of slow-walking the release of documents related to gain-of-function research.

Under normal circumstances, Tabak would have likely resumed his role as acting director until a new NIH leader was confirmed. However, the Biden-era holdover was bypassed in favor of Dr. Matthew Memoli, a former researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a known critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.