Trump In China, Hegseth Requests Wartime Budget, FDA Commissioner Resigns

Summary

NPR Up First – May 13, 2026

Episode Title: Trump In China, Hegseth Requests Wartime Budget, FDA Commissioner Resigns
Hosts: Leila Fadel, Michelle Martin, Steve Inskeep
Reporters/Guests: Jennifer Pak, Claudia Grisales, Sidney Lupkin

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Episode Overview

This episode covers the arrival of President Trump in Beijing for a summit with China's President Xi Jinping, the Pentagon's monumental wartime budget request amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, and the sudden resignation of FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary after a tumultuous tenure.

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1. Trump in China: High-Stakes Summit

(Main Segment: 02:32 – 06:08)

Key Discussion Points

• Summit Context & Stakes

  • President Trump arrives in Beijing for a brief, symbolic summit with Xi Jinping.
  • The summit’s expectations are low, but the stability of U.S.–China economic relations and the ongoing trade war are at stake.
  • Trump is accompanied by top U.S. corporate executives from companies like Boeing, Cargill, and Nvidia, which have interests in re-engaging the Chinese market (03:06).

• Background and Goals

  • The U.S. and China implemented tariffs and export controls, leading to stalled business and a fragile pause in the trade war.
  • Trump seeks increased or resumed Chinese purchases of American products, while China wants access to American high-tech goods, especially semiconductors and jet engines.
  • Both nations acknowledge each other's leverage: the U.S. on tech, China on rare earth minerals.

• On-the-Ground Reporting

  • Steve Inskeep and Jennifer Pak provide a colorful on-location perspective from Beijing, describing the grandeur and symbolism of the Great Hall of the People.
    • Quote (Steve Inskeep, 04:12): "Yeah, it's like full of red plush carpet, chandeliers, marble walls. It's just massive."
    • Quote (Jennifer Pak, 04:26): "There's a policy argument about a summit, but there's also the symbolism of it."
  • Chinese officials desire to be regarded as equals; Trump’s administration feels the U.S. hasn't received due respect (04:38).

• Underlying Tensions

  • China’s position has strengthened since Trump’s last visit, thanks in part to control over rare earths essential for U.S. industries.
  • Both sides want to stabilize their economic relationship but approach negotiations with competing priorities.

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2. Wartime Spending: The Pentagon’s Record Budget Request

(Main Segment: 06:16 – 09:53)

Key Discussion Points

• Escalating Costs

  • The war with Iran has cost $29 billion so far, up $4 billion from two weeks prior – and this doesn’t include repairs to U.S. facilities damaged in the conflict (06:34).
    • Quote (Claudia Grisales, 06:44): "Even that figure does not paint a full picture... Pentagon officials admitted that it doesn't include repairs to U.S. facilities that have been hit by Iran."

• Budget Request Details

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has requested a historic $1.5 trillion budget – the largest in U.S. history – up from $1 trillion the previous year.
    • Quote (Pete Hegseth, 07:55): "We're submitting a $1.5 trillion budget that'll remake the department and ensure that every war fighter in the future has exactly what they need."
  • The rationale is to reverse "years of underinvestment" in the military, but the request has met bipartisan skepticism.

• Congressional Pushback

  • Lawmakers from both parties are demanding transparency about spending before approving more funds.
    • Quote (Rep. Betty McCollum, 08:12): "I'm deeply concerned that the department can't seem to manage $1 trillion that Congress provided last year. So, gentlemen, we need information."
  • Frustration also rises over the lack of clarity on when the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz might reopen.

• Other Political Dynamics

  • Democrats and some Republicans challenge the administration’s stance on military control and strategy in the region, as well as the feasibility and advisability of leveraging economic pressure against Iran when history suggests it may have limited effect.

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3. FDA Commissioner Resigns After Controversy

(Main Segment: 10:02 – 12:57)

Key Discussion Points

• Resignation Details

  • Dr. Marty Makary resigns as FDA Commissioner after 13 months, reportedly over White House pressure to approve flavored vapes—a move he opposed (10:17).
  • His tenure was marked by internal agency conflict, an exodus of experienced staff, and politicized decision-making.

• Policy and Leadership Disputes

  • McCary’s decisions, such as approving updated COVID-19 vaccines and a generic abortion medication, upset factions on both sides of the political spectrum (10:58).
  • He bypassed standard FDA advisory committees for several key regulatory decisions, eroding trust within and outside the agency.
    • Quote (Sidney Lupkin, 11:24): "He made some policy changes without convening the typical FDA advisory committees of outside experts... He called the committees bureaucratic, conflicted, and expensive."

• Reactions & Looking Forward

  • President Trump praised Makary in a Truth Social post, but public health experts like Dr. Ben Rome were highly critical.
    • Quote (Dr. Ben Rome, 12:07): "I think the last year has been an unmitigated disaster for the FDA... There has been a lot of changes to regulatory processes that have totally undermined the FDA's independent abilities and have introduced political interference."
  • Trump names Kyle Diamantis, a lawyer and the deputy commissioner for food, as acting commissioner; the administration faces continued difficulties confirming permanent health agency leaders.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the summit’s significance:
  "It's about face and the importance of this relationship. That's a massive thing for Chinese officials—that they need to be seen as a peer to be respected." (Steve Inskeep, 04:26)

• On Pentagon spending oversight:
  "We need information." (Rep. Betty McCollum, 08:12)

• On the FDA leadership crisis:
  "There has been a lot of changes to regulatory processes that have totally undermined the FDA's independent abilities and have introduced political interference into the process." (Dr. Ben Rome, 12:07)

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Timestamps: Key Segments

• Trump in China summit: 02:32 – 06:08
• Pentagon wartime budget: 06:16 – 09:53
• FDA Commissioner resignation: 10:02 – 12:57

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This episode provides concise yet informative coverage of major developments in U.S. foreign policy, military funding, and public health leadership—all signposting significant challenges and tensions facing U.S. policymakers in 2026.

Transcript

[Leila Fadel]

President Trump arrives in Beijing for a summit with China's Xi Jinping.

[Michelle Martin]

Our co host Steve Inskeep is there with NPR's Jennifer Pack. They visit the Great hall where the leaders will meet and talk about what's at stake for the world's two largest economies.

[Leila Fadel]

I'm Leila Falden. That's Michelle Martin. And this is up first from NPR News. A Pentagon official told lawmakers the war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is asking Congress for one and a half trillion doll next year's budget.

[Jennifer Pak]

This is admittedly a historic budget. It is a fiscally responsible budget and it is a war fighting budget.

[Leila Fadel]

Some Republicans are joining Democrats in pushing back.

[Michelle Martin]

And FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty McCary is out after 13 months on the job. Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day.

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[Jennifer Pak]

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[Michelle Martin]

Air Force One lands in Beijing soon. President Trump is there to talk with China's President Xi Jinping.

[Leila Fadel]

Their summit will be brief. Expectations are low, but much is at stake in the trade war and the president is bringing along many of the biggest corporate chief executives in the United States.

[Michelle Martin]

Our colleague Steve Inskeep is in Beijing for the summit. Hey there.

[Jennifer Pak]

Hi there, Michelle. I'm in the center of this gigantic city And I'm with NPR's Jennifer Pack, who's based in China, and we're going to talk through the events of this summit that begins shortly. Jennifer, Layla mentioned CEOs. Who's the president bringing here?

[Steve Inskeep]

Well, he's bringing a bunch of CEOs from Boeing, Cargill, even Nvidia. Basically companies that want to sell more to China because many of their sales were stalled because President Trump launched a trade war last year. Trump had launched tariffs on Chinese exports and he had imposed export controls on American high tech. China struck back. So they reached a kind of pause last year, but it's really fragile. So the two leaders are meeting to stabilize the relationship. Trump wants a deal. China understands that about him and might find that easier to deal with.

[Jennifer Pak]

Well, I want people to know that you and I are just a few miles from this enormous building where Trump will be welcomed on Thursday. And we went to see it. The easiest way to do that was by renting bikes, which you can do on any street in Beijing. And as we bike through traffic, we, we discussed what is at stake at the summit. Here's what it sounded like. Okay, so on our right is the Forbidden City and on the left is the Great hall of the People. And that, am I right, is where President Trump will be officially welcomed?

[Steve Inskeep]

Absolutely.

[Jennifer Pak]

On Thursday. You've been in that building. What's it like in there? It's huge.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yeah, it's like full of red plush carpet, chandeliers, marble walls. It's just massive.

[Jennifer Pak]

There's a policy argument about a summit, but there's also the symbolism of it.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yes. It's about face and the importance of this relationship. That's a massive thing for Chinese officials that they need to be seen as a peer to be respected.

[Jennifer Pak]

Bit of traffic here and I suppose we should note we are still approaching the Great hall of the People, that the Trump administration's point of view is that it has been not getting that kind of respect. He now comes here wanting the Chinese to increase or in some cases resume purchases of American products. That's one of the things we think the United States wants out of this.

[Steve Inskeep]

Absolutely. And China also wants to buy from the U.S. you know, one of the Chinese officials argument is if you want to rebalance the trade deficit, then let us, China buy more top notch semiconductors to run our AI, which is exactly our jet engines that we need, which

[Jennifer Pak]

is exactly what we should note, the Biden administration as well as the Trump administration has not been willing to do in recent years. The United States trying to maintain its lead in artificial intelligence.

[Steve Inskeep]

Absolutely. But guess what China's leverage is. It has the crucial key minerals that America needs, rare earths. Well, that's the reason why a lot of analysts say that China is coming into this summit much stronger than they did almost 10 years ago when they last had Trump coming to China.

[Jennifer Pak]

Jennifer. I know we were just passing one building, but it feels like we took several minutes to do so. It's a big one.

[Michelle Martin]

It's a big one.

[Jennifer Pak]

And NPR's Jennifer Pack is pretty confident on that yellow bike in Beijing traffic. Thanks so much.

[Steve Inskeep]

Thank you.

[Michelle Martin]

The Pentagon estimates the cost of the war with Iran is about $29 billion.

[Leila Fadel]

Top defense officials answered questions from Congress on Tuesday. That price tag was one of few specifics in the day of testimony.

[Michelle Martin]

NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grizales was watching, and she's with us now. Good morning, Claudia.

[Claudia Grisales]

Good morning, Michelle.

[Michelle Martin]

So two weeks ago, Pentagon leaders told lawmakers that the cost of the war was $25 billion. Now it's 29 billion dol billion. Are we any closer to a final estimate?

[Claudia Grisales]

No. And even that figure does not paint a full picture. Pentagon officials admitted that it doesn't include repairs to U.S. facilities that have been hit by Iran. We heard Senate Democrat Jack Reed press Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst on this exact question.

[Sidney Lupkin]

So you do not consider installations that

[Leila Fadel]

have been damaged in the conflict? Correct.

[Jennifer Pak]

We just don't have a good estimate at this time.

[Claudia Grisales]

So I talked to Mark Cancian. He's senior advisor at the center for Strategic and International Studies, and he's been tracking the costs of the war. CSIS estimates that these repairs alone could add at least another $4 billion to the final price tag. And getting that full picture is key because the Pentagon expects to ask for supplemental funding on top of all of this to pay for the war.

[Michelle Martin]

Right. And this hearing was supposed to focus on the administration's request for one and a half trillion dollars for next year' budget. What did we learn about that?

[Sidney Lupkin]

Right.

[Claudia Grisales]

And it's a big increase from last year's defense budget of $1 trillion. It's the largest such ask in history. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argues that it's part of a plan to reverse years of underinvestment in the military.

[Jennifer Pak]

We're submitting a $1.5 trillion budget that'll remake the department and ensure that every war fighter in the future has exactly what they need.

[Claudia Grisales]

But lawmakers in both parties say they need to know how all that money is going to be spent before they can sign off. Take a listen to House Democratic appropriator Bet McCollum raising this.

[Michelle Martin]

I'm deeply concerned that the department can't seem to manage $1 trillion that Congress provided last year. So, gentlemen, we need information. Did we learn anything new about when the Strait of Hormuz could reopen?

[Claudia Grisales]

No, not really. Hexseth couldn't give an estimate when that could happen. He said the US Controls the strait and US Military pressure is a key point of leverage against Iran. But many Democrats question that claim. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy there's essentially no military mechanism to reopen the strait. And he said the administration's strategy to use economic pressure is high risk when

[Michelle Martin]

there's plenty of evidence from military history to show that countries that are being

[Jennifer Pak]

attacked or invaded or occupied are actually

[Michelle Martin]

willing to put up with a whole

[Jennifer Pak]

lot of economic misery in order to preserve national pride.

[Michelle Martin]

Okay, well, what about Republicans? Did any Republicans push back against Hegseth and other officials?

[Claudia Grisales]

Yes, they took officials to task quite a few times. We saw Maine Senator Susan Collins raised concerns that there seemingly is a shifting plan to reopen the strait. And South Carolina's Lindsey Graham questioned Pakistan's role as a mediator in talks with Iran. And we also saw Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski raise concerns about the ceasefire. That does not look like a ceasefire. And it's clear we're more than two months into this war and we're seeing increasing GOP frustration about a lack of information from the White House. And this is creating political headwinds for Republicans as the get ready to face voters this fall who are unhappy with the war and seeing daily reminders of it at the gas pump and elsewhere in the economy.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR's Claudia Grisales. Claudia, thank you.

[Claudia Grisales]

Thank you.

[Michelle Martin]

The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration is gone.

[Leila Fadel]

Yeah. Dr. Marty Makary resigned Tuesday after 13 tumultuous months on the job.

[Michelle Martin]

NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent Sidney Lupkin is here to talk about the change. Good morning, Sidney.

[Sidney Lupkin]

Good morning.

[Michelle Martin]

So why is this happening?

[Sidney Lupkin]

Well, I'm told the final straw for McCary was White House pressure to okay flavored vapes, something he did not agree with. That's according to a federal health official familiar with management of the agency, but who wasn't authorized to speak publicly. The pressure has been building for a while. He had survived a series of controversies. McCary was definitely disrupting the agency, which is really in line with what the rest of the Trump administration has been trying to do to the federal government. And he made a lot of people mad at times. McCary angered, angered the Make America Healthy Again movement for not pushing the MAHA agenda fast enough or hard enough. And he upset people wanting a more predictable approach to regulation at the fda.

[Michelle Martin]

Can you give us some examples?

[Sidney Lupkin]

Oh, sure. For example, people who support the Baja movement were upset when the agency approved updated COVID 19 vaccines last year. He also disappointed people who oppose abortion by approving a second generic version of mifepristone. Drug makers and patient groups who want a concealer consistent and predictable FDA were unhappy with the agency's reversals on experimental drugs and vaccines. McCary made some policy changes without convening the typical FDA advisory committees of outside experts. These committees have a lot of rules around them to make sure they're not biased, and they're typically convened before big agency decisions. It's a way to build public trust. And McCary didn't do that before changing the safety warnings on hormone replacement therapies. At the time, he called the committees bureaucratic, conflicted, and expensive. So even though medical groups had long wanted those safety labels changed, they didn't like the way McCary did it.

[Michelle Martin]

So what are people saying now that McCary is out?

[Sidney Lupkin]

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump thanked Makary for doing a great job. But Dr. Ben Rome, a physician and health policy researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, says he's glad to see McCary go.

[Jennifer Pak]

I think the last year has been

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an unmitigated disaster for the fda.

[Jennifer Pak]

So there has been a lot of

[Commercial Announcer]

changes to regulatory processes that have totally undermined the FDA's independent abilities and have

[Jennifer Pak]

introduced political interference into the process.

[Sidney Lupkin]

There's also been a big exodus of career staff. That's in addition to the mass firings that took place just after McCary was confirmed last year. Rome says he hopes the next person will right the ship, but he's worried.

[Michelle Martin]

So speaking of that, who is the next person that we think will lead the fda?

[Sidney Lupkin]

That would be Kyle Diamantis. Trump announced that he'll be the acting commissioner. Diamantis had been the deputy commissioner for food, overseeing nutrition and human food safety. He's a lawyer, not a medical doctor. But the administration has struggled to get some of its health picks confirmed by the Senate. So it may be a while before there's a permanent commissioner.

[Michelle Martin]

That is NPR's pharmaceuticals correspondent, Cindy Luckin. Cindy, thank you.

[Sidney Lupkin]

You bet.

[Michelle Martin]

And that's up first for Wednesday, May 13th. I'm Michele Martin.

[Leila Fadel]

And I'm Layla Falden. Today's episode of Upfron first was edited by Miguel Macias, Jason Breslow, Chris Housted, Mohamed El Bardisi and John Stolness. It was produced by Ziad Butch and Nia Dumas. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Highness. Our technical director is Carly Strange, and our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin. Join us again tomorrow.

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