A key legal adviser to Robert Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s pick of health secretary, is at the center of efforts to push federal drug regulators to withdraw approval for the polio and hepatitis B vaccines and ban the distribution of 13 block other crucial vaccines.
Aaron Siri, a lawyer who helped Kennedy select top health care administrators as part of Trump’s transition process, is deeply entrenched in longstanding efforts to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw a series of vaccines that have saved lives . and the health of millions of Americans.
Siri has sat alongside Kennedy in interviews asking candidates for top health care jobs where they stand on vaccines New York Times reported on Friday.
Kennedy, a leading vaccine skeptic, has insisted he has no plans to withdraw vaccines if confirmed by the US Senate for health secretary. But his close ties to Siri raise concerns about the intentions of the new Trump administration, given the lawyer’s close involvement in the anti-vaccination movement.
Siri works closely with the Informed Consent Action Network (Ican), a nonprofit “medical freedom” organization founded by Del Bigtree, who has long waged a war on vaccines, including as producer of the anti-vaccination documentary Vaxxed. The New York Times report noted that Siri filed the 2022 petition calling on the FDA to revoke approval for the polio vaccine on behalf of ICAN.
The polio virus, the cause of a disease that was once one of America’s most feared, has been eliminated from the country by the US through polio vaccines. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that vaccination is the best way to prevent its return and keep people safe.
Not only has Siri been involved in lawsuits calling for the withdrawal or suspension of the polio and hepatitis B vaccines, but he has also petitioned the FDA to pause the distribution of thirteen other vaccines, according to the Times.
Trump said this week that Kennedy could investigate vaccines for a suspected link to autism. The comment to NBC suggests that his choice for health secretary may be in line with the conspiracy theory that there is a link between childhood vaccinations and autism, which has been thoroughly debunked yet repeatedly trumpeted by Kennedy.
Kennedy’s spokesperson, Katie Miller, confirmed to the Times that Siri advised Kennedy, but said his vaccine requests were not discussed.
“Mr. Kennedy has long said he wants transparency on vaccines and giving people choice,” she said.