WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, along with U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) introduced the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Amendment Act to provide assistance to those who have suffered adverse reactions from the COVID-19 vaccines. Current law provides redress measures for patients who have suffered adverse reactions to vaccines and other countermeasures used to promote public health. Unfortunately, the thousands of patients who have sought relief for adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccines have not received compensation under the existing framework.

The bill would amend the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Act (CICP) to improve responsiveness, create a commission to examine the injuries directly caused as a result of COVID-19 countermeasures, and allow those whose claims have been previously rejected to resubmit claims for new consideration.

Sen. Johnson has been a leading advocate since the beginning of the pandemic for early treatment, healthcare freedom, and individuals who have experienced adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. In June 2021, he held a press conference in Milwaukee with vaccine injured from Wisconsin and around the country. In November 2021, he held a roundtable with vaccine injured and medical experts entitled “Sen. Johnson Expert Panel on Vaccine Mandates.” In January 2022, he held a discussion with doctors and medical experts entitled “COVID-19: A Second Opinion.” The senator held two Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearings on early treatment in November and December of 2020. He has also written dozens of oversight letters to our federal health agencies pressing for transparency and accountability regarding the administration’s unsuccessful and harmful COVID-19 policies. He will continue to advocate for the vaccine injured so their stories can be seen, heard and believed in order to get the treatment they need.  

Brianne Dressen, a participant in Sen. Johnson’s panels and a Utah mother who experienced a serious adverse reaction as a participant in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial, said of the bill, “What would this bill mean?  It would mean those who are suffering adverse reactions will no longer have to decide between putting the bread on the table or picking up that critical prescription from the pharmacy or paying rent vs going to the doctor.  For those of us waiting for critical compensation, this bill very well could be the difference between healing, and suffering and declining.”

The full text of the bill can be found here.

###