Hawley slams Congress for betraying nuclear radiation victims in STL

WASHINGTON — Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor after Congressional leadership betrayed American nuclear program victims through backroom negotiations. Dealmakers stripped Senator Hawley’s bill to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) from the FY ’24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Senator Hawley vowed to oppose the final bill and slow down its passage. The Senate voted on an extra procedural motion today after Senator Hawley threw up a roadblock.

The RECA program—which is set to expire in the coming months—compensates victims poisoned by the federal government through nuclear waste. This includes numerous residents of the greater St. Louis area and across the country. Despite passing the Senate with strong bipartisan support and receiving an endorsement from President Biden, RECA reauthorization was scrubbed from the bill behind closed doors.

“This is a grave injustice. […] This [NDAA] turns its back on the people of the United States in defense of the lobbyists, and the suits, and the corporate entities who are going to get paid,” said Senator Hawley. 

“To the people of this nation—tens of thousands who have depended on this compensation, life-saving help, who are now at risk of losing all of it—this fight is not over. […] I will come to this floor as long as it takes […] until we compensate the people of this nation, who have sacrificed for this nation, and do not leave them behind,” he concluded.