Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor, calling for the House of Representatives to immediately reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). RECA funding—which is set to expire on June 7—compensates American victims whom the federal government has poisoned through its nuclear testing programs.
Senator Hawley specifically addressed Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to send RECA to the House floor before it is too late:
“There’s only one month remaining before this vital program, this commitment that this nation has made to the working people of this nation, to the veterans of this nation, who have served this country, before this commitment runs out,” said Senator Hawley.
“We have one month to go—and the House has not acted,” he continued.
Click here or above to watch the full speech.
“The bill for this radiation has been paid. It’s been paid by the American people. . . . They’re the ones who are dying. They’re the ones who are having to forgo cancer treatments, treatments for their children . . . because their government has exposed them to this radiation negligently . . . It’s time the government bore its share,” Senator Hawley concluded.
Senator Hawley has been the leading voice in the fight to secure just compensation for nuclear radiation victims, including Missourians in the greater St. Louis area and Americans across the country.
Senator Hawley’s legislation to reauthorize and expand RECA already passed the Senate twice in overwhelming bipartisan fashion. It is now incumbent on the House of Representatives to send the bill to the floor for a vote.
Click here to dive deeper into Senator Hawley’s fight to update RECA before compensation funds go dark in less than a month.