Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell condemned an effort from an associate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr to roll back FDA approval for the polio vaccine and warned the Cabinet nominee to "steer clear" of such initiatives.
Aaron Siri, an attorney for RFK Jr., filed a petition with the FDA on Friday asking the agency to revoke their approval of the life-saving inoculation. McConnell said venturing down that path would be a mistake for Kennedy and the country.
“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,” McConnell warned in a statement.
McConnell, a polio survivor, championed the medical developments that have saved countless lives.
“I have never flinched from confronting specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress,” the senator said “The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and held out the promise of eradicating a terrible disease. Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed - they're dangerous.”
Republican Senator-elect Jim Banks doesn’t share in McConnell’s reservations.
Banks said on Friday that the country was ready for a “big debate about vaccines” and other health topics, adding he supported RFK’s confirmation “110 percent.” Still, Senate Minority Leader McConnell carries weight in the chamber.
If McConnell puts up a fight over his HHS bid, Kennedy wouldn't be the only Trump nominee to face confirmation trouble. Defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth reportedly faces an uphill climb to whip votes. Some Republicans advised him to drop his bid altogether, following a path laid out by former Rep. Matt Gaetz.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised Kennedy carte blanche to “go wild” on vaccines. Since then, the president-elect has voiced some support for anti-vaccine ideology. Following Trump’s win, McConnell declined to say whether he’d support Kennedy’s confirmation.
