The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee convened a hearing titled “Voices of the Vaccine Injured,” where family members, clinicians and advocates gave emotional testimony alleging injuries and deaths they attribute to vaccines, and other witnesses and senators stressed vaccines’ proven public‑health benefits.

Chairman Ron Johnson opened the hearing to a full room and said the purpose was “to give a platform to those individuals and families who have been abandoned, their injuries and suffering dismissed and forgotten.” Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal expressed empathy for families while reiterating the public‑health benefits of vaccines and urging careful, evidence‑based inquiry.

The witnesses described a range of experiences. Emily Tarsell, introduced as a retired psychotherapist and former president of the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors of Maryland, said her 20‑year‑old daughter developed symptoms after HPV vaccination and later died; Tarsell said an autopsy was inconclusive and that litigation led the Department of Health and Human Services to concede by preponderance of the evidence that her daughter’s death was vaccine related. She said VAERS reporting and follow‑up were insufficient: “I called the FDA. They did no follow‑up with me and took a year to obtain her medical records,” she testified.

Eric Stein of Families Fighting Flu described losing his 4‑year‑old sister to influenza and described his advocacy to expand flu vaccine recommendations. Therese Murata, deputy CEO of Vaccinate Your Family, recounted losing her 5‑year‑old son to H1N1 and cautioned that declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of measles and pertussis. Murata said vaccines undergo extensive safety testing and that U.S. safety monitoring includes systems beyond VAERS.

Speakers including Dr. Brian ****** of Children’s Health Defense and director Pali Tommy of Children’s Health Defense TV described multiple personal and reported cases of serious injuries and deaths they tied to vaccines and criticized federal oversight, clinical trial design and post‑market surveillance. Dr. Robert Sullivan, an anesthesiologist, described developing pulmonary hypertension after a COVID‑era mRNA shot and said reporting systems and follow‑up left him feeling ignored.

The panel debated technical and oversight topics the witnesses raised. Testimony and later questioning focused on:
- VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) and underreporting: witnesses cited an often‑referenced figure (about 1% reporting) and plaintiffs’ assertions about missing follow‑up from regulators. Dr. Brian ****** referenced a Harvard Pilgrim study that the CDC sponsored estimating low capture of adverse events in VAERS.
- Vaccine Injury Compensation: witnesses described using the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and litigation timelines; several said the program was slow or provided limited relief.
- Clinical trials and placebos: witnesses and senators debated whether childhood vaccines have been tested with true saline placebos; committee discussion included claims that many pre‑licensure trials used active comparators and short adverse‑event windows.
- Allegations about destroyed CDC records: witnesses referenced claims by a former CDC scientist, William Thompson, concerning an MMR‑autism analysis; committee members said destruction of documents, if proven, would warrant investigation.

Senators from both parties expressed sympathy for the families and interest in oversight. Chairman Johnson said, “The truth is vaccine injuries are real, and they've been ignored.” Senator Blumenthal said vaccines have saved lives — citing smallpox and polio — but agreed that alleged misconduct and gaps in safety monitoring deserve scrutiny and possible reform.

Witnesses and lawmakers suggested multiple possible reforms including strengthening follow‑up of adverse‑event reports, reviewing the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, clarifying clinical‑trial controls and improving transparency about data and advertising. No formal legislative proposals were introduced at the hearing.

The subcommittee left the record open for written submissions: the chair announced the hearing record would remain open 15 days until July 30 at 5 p.m. for additional statements and questions for the record.

The hearing illustrated sharp differences in how families and health advocates interpret vaccine safety data and government oversight. Senators said they would consider next steps; they asked agencies and witnesses for documents and suggested bipartisan work on procedural and oversight reforms.