HINGTON — President-Elect Donald Trump says the polio vaccine isn’t going anywhere, following a report from The New York Times that an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a petition to revoke approval of the vaccine.

“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine,” Trump said Monday. “That’s not going to happen. I saw what happened with the polio. I have friends that were very much affected by that.”

The remarks come after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appeared to fire a warning shot at Kennedy, the environmental lawyer known for opposition to vaccines whom Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

McConnell, who survived polio as a child, said in a statement Friday:

“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.”

In response to questions, a transition spokeswoman for Kennedy says he believes the polio vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly studied.

As for Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, McConnell said her legal experience makes her “well-qualified to lead the Department of Justice.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who will chair the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has expressed support for Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Trump’s controversial pick for Defense Secretary, and World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon, who’s been tapped to lead the Department of Education.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who will take over that leadership position from McConnell, says he wants to get started on confirming nominees before Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.