McConnell puts RFK Jr. on notice over polio vaccine
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) takes a question from a reporter. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on notice Friday after reports seemingly linking the Health and Human Services nominee to an effort to revoke the polio vaccine.
Why it matters: McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, will be an important vote for President-elect Trump's nominees to win over. Kennedy is expected to spend next week on the Hill meeting with senators.
- "Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they're dangerous," McConnell said in a statement Friday.
- "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," he added, without mentioning Kennedy by name.
Driving the news: An ally of RFK Jr. in 2022 petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval of the polio vaccine on the grounds that the agency didn't conduct sufficient safety studies, documents show.
- Kennedy has tried to distance himself from his past anti-vaccine statements.
- But he has stayed close with Aaron Siri, a lawyer who worked on the Kennedy campaign and petitioned the government in 2022 to revoke approval of the polio vaccine, as the New York Times first reported.
- Siri has reportedly been helping vet candidates for other government health jobs.
What he's saying: McConnell cited his experience with polio, saying "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."
- He cited his effort to work with advocates, including Rotary International and the Gates Foundation.
- "I have never flinched from confronting specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress, and I will not today," McConnell said, crediting the polio vaccine for saving millions of lives.
Zoom out: Kennedy's controversial views on vaccines, abortion and other health issues will be front and center when he meets with Republican senators next week as they weigh his confirmation to lead HHS.
- Republicans are set to control 53 Senate seats next year, meaning Kennedy could draw opposition from a few GOPers and still be confirmed.
