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Trump nominees should 㽶Ƶֱsteer clear㽶Ƶֱ of undermining polio vaccine, McConnell says

The statement appeared to be directed at Trump㽶Ƶֱs pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, wears a bandage on his face and wrist as he walks to cast a vote on the Senate floor after falling during a luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Senate Republican leader , who had , says any of President-elect Donald Trump㽶Ƶֱs nominees seeking Senate confirmation should 㽶Ƶֱsteer clear㽶Ƶֱ of efforts to discredit the polio vaccine.

㽶ƵֱEfforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed 㽶Ƶֱ they㽶Ƶֱre dangerous,㽶Ƶֱ McConnell said in a statement Friday. 㽶ƵֱAnyone seeking the Senate㽶Ƶֱs consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.㽶Ƶֱ

The 82-year-old lawmaker㽶Ƶֱs statement appeared to be directed at Trump㽶Ƶֱs pick for health secretary, , after a report that one of his advisers in 2022. That vaccine is widely considered to have halted the disease in most parts of the world.

McConnell㽶Ƶֱs words were a sign that Kennedy, who has long advanced the , could face some resistance in the soon-to-be GOP-controlled Senate.

㽶ƵֱMr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied,㽶Ƶֱ said Katie Miller, the transition spokeswoman for Kennedy, in response to questions.

The New York Times reported that the petition was filed by a lawyer now helping Kennedy select candidates for federal health positions in the incoming administration.

Any individual or company can file a petition with the Food and Drug Administration, which typically fields hundreds of requests at any time relating to various food, drug and medical issues. Most petitions are denied, but the FDA is required to respond to each one in writing.

Vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in laboratory testing and in real-world use in hundreds of millions of people over decades 㽶Ƶֱ they are considered among the most effective public health measures in history.

McConnell contracted polio at 2 years old but survived because of 㽶Ƶֱthe miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother㽶Ƶֱs love,㽶Ƶֱ according to the statement. He praised the 㽶Ƶֱsaving power㽶Ƶֱ of the polio vaccine for the 㽶Ƶֱmillions who came after me.㽶Ƶֱ

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a post on X that it was 㽶Ƶֱoutrageous 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.

He said Kennedy should clarify his own position on it.

Trump , saying Kennedy would work to protect Americans 㽶Ƶֱfrom harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives.㽶Ƶֱ

But that pick was met with alarm from scientists and public health officials, who fear Kennedy would unwind lifesaving public health initiatives such as vaccines.

Kennedy has pushed other conspiracy theories regarding vaccines, such as that to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, comments he later said were taken out of context. He has repeatedly when discussing vaccines and .

Kennedy said he , an agency with sprawling reach and a $1.3 trillion budget, if he is approved. He has suggested the FDA is beholden to 㽶Ƶֱbig pharma,㽶Ƶֱ and his anti-vaccine nonprofit has called on it to stop using COVID-19 vaccines.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, his nonprofit group, Children㽶Ƶֱs Health Defense, petitioned the FDA to halt the use of all COVID vaccines. The group has alleged that the FDA is beholden to 㽶Ƶֱbig pharma㽶Ƶֱ because it receives much of its budget from industry fees and some employees who have departed the agency have gone on to work for drugmakers.

Children㽶Ƶֱs Health Defense currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.





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