WASHINGTON — A polio survivor and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., responded harshly to a New York Times revelation that a prominent attorney and longtime advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to remove the polio vaccine’s approval.
Kennedy has long been an opponent of childhood immunizations and has unjustly linked the growth in young autism to the widespread use of vaccines. Kennedy is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
The vaccination has saved millions of lives, and any attempt to prevent its availability would be a catastrophic error, according to McConnell, who still copes with the effects of his childhood battle with the disease.
According to McConnell’s comments to NBC News, the polio vaccine has prevented millions of deaths and offered hope for the eradication of a horrible illness. In addition to being ignorant, attempts to erode public trust in tried-and-true treatments are harmful.
The New York Times report claims that Kennedy is presently working with Aaron Siri as an advisor to find applicants for federal health positions. In 2022, Siri submitted the petition on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network. Kennedy is intimately associated with the anti-vaccine group.
The New York Times was informed by a Kennedy spokesperson that Siri is giving Kennedy advice, but that the two men had not spoken about his request to have the polio vaccine’s clearance revoked.
McConnell made it apparent in his remarks that he will fight to ensure that the polio vaccination is accessible.
I have never shied away from taking on false information that jeopardizes the development of life-saving medical advancements, and I won’t now.
In an interview with NBC News prior to being named Trump’s choice at HHS, Kennedy stated that he would not try to deny anyone their immunizations, despite his vocal opposition to them.
However, he added that he intended to thoroughly examine how the life-saving medications are introduced to the market.
I will not take away vaccines if they are effective for someone. According to him, people should have a choice, and that choice should be based on the best available facts. Therefore, I will ensure that scientific safety and efficacy studies are available so that people may determine for themselves whether a product will be beneficial to them.
Although McConnell doesn’t specifically identify Kennedy in his remarks, he does note that anyone requesting Senate confirmation must be clear about their goals regarding the polio vaccine.
McConnell noted that anyone hoping to gain the Senate’s approval to serve in the new Administration would be wise to avoid even the appearance of being associated with such initiatives.
Kennedy is scheduled to meet with senators on Capitol Hill the following week.
Even though McConnell will step down as Senate leader in January, he is still a powerful figure in the Senate. Overcoming McConnell’s resistance might be a challenging obstacle for a nominee.
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