RFK Jr.’s Lawyer Petitioned the FDA to Revoke Polio Vaccine Approval
Kennedy
Aaron Siri, the lawyer assisting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in selecting top health officials for the incoming Trump administration, petitioned the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke approval of the polio vaccine.
The vaccine, which has safeguarded millions from paralysis and death for decades, is now at the center of a contentious debate over vaccine policy.
The New York Times cites the polio petition, filed in 2022, as part of a broader push by Siri.
Representing the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), a nonprofit closely tied to Kennedy, Siri has also petitioned to pause distribution of 13 additional vaccines and has launched lawsuits to demand transparency in vaccine approvals.
“You want to get the vaccine — it’s America, a free country,” Siri told Arizona legislators last year, emphasizing choice while voicing concerns about vaccine safety.
Dr. Kathryn Edwards of Vanderbilt University, subjected to one of Siri’s intense depositions, called the polio petition particularly troubling in a comment to the newspaper, noting polio is a global threat just “an airplane ride away.”
Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, has publicly stated his support for vaccine choice and transparency. However, his alignment with Siri raises questions from critics about the future of vaccine policy.
Rubella vaccine pioneer Dr. Stanley Plotkin told the New York Times: “I find him laughable in many ways — except, of course, that he’s a danger to public health.”
Siri’s petitions often cite a lack of placebo-controlled trials for certain vaccines, including polio. Experts counter that such trials would be unethical given the real risks posed by diseases.
“You’re substituting a theoretical risk for a real risk,” warned Dr. Paul A. Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told the New York Times. ”The real risks are the diseases.”
