A new report by The New York Times reveals Aaron Siri, an attorney for President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F., Kennedy, Jr., filed a petition to the FDA in 2022 to revoke approval of the polio vaccine on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network — a move that threatens decades of progress in nearly eradicating one of the world’s most devastating diseases. Siri is currently assisting Kennedy in selecting nominees for top health policy positions in the incoming Trump administration.

Public Citizen health experts issued the following statements: “The United States has been a leader in the global fight to eradicate polio, which is poised to become only the second disease in history to be eliminated from the face of the earth after smallpox,” said Public Citizen Campaign Director for Global Vaccines Access Liza Barrie. “Undermining polio vaccination efforts now risks reversing decades of progress and unraveling one of the greatest public health achievements of all time.”

"Trump’s pick for FDA-head, Dr. Marty Makary, recently tried to dismiss RFK Jr.’s dangerous position on vaccines as a thing of the past.” said Public Citizen Senior Health Researcher Michael T. Abrams. “This reporting on the Trump transition strategy suggests that threat from RFK Jr.'s positions is clear and present.”

Public Citizen calls on the Senate to reject Kennedy’s confirmation and ensure that our federal health leadership is grounded in science and truly dedicated to protecting public health.