‘They’re dangerous’: A polio-surviving Republican lashes out at Trump’s Health Secretary pick over vaccine disinformation
Mitchell McConnell survived polio, but under Donald Trump’s incoming administration, he fears that others won’t be so lucky.
After learning that a close ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. petitioned the government to shelve a polio vaccine, McConnell laid into Donald Trump’s pick for Public Health Secretary. McConnell accused RFK Jr. of spreading “specious disinformation that threatens the advance of lifesaving medical progress,” and called his ideas “uniformed” and “dangerous.”
When it comes to the medical opinions of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “uninformed” is an understatement. RFK Jr. has proved to be one of the most high profile spreaders of disinformation in the United States, and has offered a series of baseless claims ranging from the idea that tap water can turn kids gay to the throughly debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. He also claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic “ethnically targeted” Black Americans but was engineered to spare Jewish and Chinese people. He also believes that there are “better candidates for what causes HIV than AIDS,” flying in the face of textbook, indisputable, elementary medical knowledge. In a statement on X, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his opinion that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies efforts would “make America sick again,” and called the actions of Aaron Siri “outrageous” and “dangerous.”
According to Mitch McConnell himself, polio vaccine saved his life, and he owes his recovery to the “the miraculous combination of modern medicine and a mother’s love.” The Senator contracted the deadly disease when he was only two years old.
“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,” said McConnell of Kennedy and his allies’ battle against vaccination. Ironically, RFK. Jr. himself is attempting to preserve his appearance in the manner McConnell suggests. After being informed that his political ally Aaron Siri was campaigning against the polio vaccine, RFK. Jr. has sought to distance himself from Siri. According to Kennedy’s spokesperson Katie Miller, he “believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied.”
According to RFK Jr. himself, he has big plans to reshape the organization he has been tapped to lead. With a budget of over $1 trillion, the Department of Health and Humans is the largest public health organization in the world, and is responsible for providing care to almost half of America’s population. He intends to take aim at the Food and Drug Organization, telling FDA employees to “1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.” in a post on X. RFK Jr. then listed a litany of substances that he claims the FDA has suppressed, including raw milk, which is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous foods a person can consume – and his personal milk of choice.
If confirmed at the HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. would also be responsible setting guidelines surrounding inoculation practices in the United States. While he has promised that he is “not going to take vaccines away from anybody,” his position could allow him to further erode the already strained relationship between average Americans and the guidelines of medical institutions. While Republicans and Democrats may disagree on many things, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer prove that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaccination polices aren’t one of them.
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