Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticized associates of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department, for seeking to rescind approval of the polio vaccine.
McConnell, a polio survivor, said in a statement that “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous.”
In a Friday report, The New York Times detailed the involvement of an attorney for Kennedy, Aaron Siri, in seeking to rescind approval of the polio vaccine and others.
“From the age of two, 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 said. “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 was not alone in his criticism. “It’s outrageous and dangerous for people in the Trump Transition to try and get rid of the polio vaccine that has virtually eradicated polio in America and saved millions of lives,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “RFK Jr. must state his position on this.”
