Outgoing Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Friday condemned Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s aide Aaron Siri for his efforts to abolish the polio vaccine, The New York Times reported.
Kennedy, an outspoken anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who has also attacked medical consensus on issues ranging from municipal water fluoridation to 5G cell service, is Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, where he already has a number of plans to shake up food approval and the management of Medicare.
Before the development of the polio vaccine, the illness terrorized American families, spreading through populations of children and leaving some with lifelong paralysis.
The issue is personal for McConnell, who contracted the disease as a young child, and to this day suffers from stiffness in his legs that makes it hard for him to walk. This week, his mobility issues forced him to work from home.
ALSO READ: A dark mystery from America's past could save us from Trump's tyranny
"Like millions of families before them, my parents knew the pain and fear of watching their child struggle with the life-altering diagnosis of polio," said McConnell in a statement. "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."
"For decades, I have been proud to work with devoted advocates — from Rotary International to the Gates Foundation — and use my platform in public life to champion the pursuit of cures for further generations," he continued. "I have never flinched from confronting specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress, and I will not today."
"The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and held out the promise of eradicating a terrible disease," McConnell added. "Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they're dangerous. 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."
