Washington DC - Donald Trump's nominee for, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is facing backlash as his personal attorney has reportedly been trying to get the US Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine.

According to a report from The New York Times, Kennedy's lawyer, Aaron Siri, has filed multiple requests for the FDA to revoke approval for various vaccines in recent years on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine group.

In a petition filed in 2022, Siri called on the agency to "withdraw or suspend" the polio vaccine "for infants and toddlers until a properly controlled and properly powered double-blind trial of sufficient duration is conducted to assess the safety of this product."

In a statement shared on Friday, an FDA spokesperson said the agency is "continuing to review the petition," but said they "cannot predict when the reviews will be completed."

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Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease that can lead to paralysis and death. While it surged in the US in the early 1900s, killing many, the release of a vaccine in 1955 led to a significant drop in cases, and to date, the disease has nearly been eradicated.

News of Siri's efforts comes as Kennedy – a well-know anti-vaxxer who has said he does not consider the polio vaccine "successful" – is set to oversee the FDA if his nomination to join Donald Trump's administration is approved by the Senate.

Trump has expressed an openness to support many of Kennedy's most controversial views, but some senators aren't as convinced.

In response to the report, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren shared a video on X, warning Americans to "Say goodbye to your smile and say hello to polio" if Kennedy's nomination is approved. She also accused the former Democrat of "welcoming" the disease's return.

In a recent statement, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who survived polio when he was younger, said the vaccine has saved millions of lives and nearly eradicated the disease.

While he did not mention RFK Jr. by name, 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," he insisted.