Today the U.S. Senate passed Senator Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) legislation to reauthorize and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), by a vote of 69-30.
"This isn’t about a handout. This isn’t about some kind of welfare program. This is about doing basic justice by the working people of this nation, whom their own government has poisoned. This is the day when we break the cycle of lies from the government, when we break the cycle of passing the buck and irresponsibility from the government," said Senator Hawley.
Click here or on the image above to watch the full remarks.
Senator Hawley’s legislation would reauthorize RECA—which is set to expire this spring—and finally compensate victims of radioactive waste in impacted areas across the country, including the St. Louis, Mo., and St. Charles, Mo., region. Without this critical funding, victims of government-caused radiation will be denied the compensation they need to treat diseases and cancers caused by their federal government’s nuclear waste.
Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Eric Schmidt (R-Mo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) are co-sponsors of this legislation.
Background
Senator Hawley has been the leading voice in the fight to secure just compensation for radiation victims in Missouri—and across the nation.
On Tuesday, Senator Hawley sent a letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) General Scott Spellmon and Colonel Andy Pannier, blasting the Corps for its deliberate concealment of cleanup efforts in the St. Louis area after new disturbing reports detail more radioactive contamination in residents’ homes.
On Monday, Senator Hawley announced he will bring Dawn Chapman—co-founder of the grassroots advocacy group “Just Moms” in St. Louis and longtime advocate for victims of nuclear contamination in the region—as his guest to tonight's State of the Union address.
Last week, Senator Hawley sent a letter to his Republican colleagues in the Senate, urging them to reauthorize RECA.
Earlier this month, Senator Hawley delivered remarks on the Senate floor, blasting Senate leadership for continuing to ignore Americans who have been poisoned by the federal government and instead shoveling money to foreign wars.
Following its passage in the Senate in July, RECA reauthorization was stripped from the NDAA by congressional leadership.
Senator Hawley has committed to doing whatever it takes to reauthorize this vital legislation and bring justice to victims of government-caused nuclear radiation.