Polio Survivor Mitch McConnell Slams RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Plans
Sen. Mitch McConnell rebuked a lawyer associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his efforts to rescind approval of the polio vaccine.
The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican, who survived polio as a child, also urged Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for secretary of health and human services, to clarify his own position on the matter.
In a statement, McConnell said that “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed—they’re dangerous,” according to Politico.
“From the age of 2, normal life without paralysis was only possible for me because of the miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother’s love. But for millions who came after me, the real miracle was the saving power of the polio vaccine,” McConnell added. “Anyone seeking the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.”
Kennedy has long been a vocal skeptic of vaccines, peddling conspiracy theories that claim the public-health remedy is linked to autism. He has said, however, that he would not strip access to vaccines as health secretary.
On Friday, though, a report in The New York Times highlighted the efforts of Aaron Siri, a personal attorney for Kennedy, to end the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the polio vaccine.
Siri has been helping Kennedy staff his prospective administration at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to The Washington Post.
Katie Miller, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, told the Post, “Mr. Siri has never had a conversation about these petitions with Mr. Kennedy or any of the HHS nominees at any point.”
She added that the polio vaccine “should be investigated and studied appropriately. We should be as transparent as possible as it relates to vaccines, but it should be available to the public.”
The FDA told the Post it was still reviewing Siri’s petition and could not comment on the matter.
