For years, Republican senator Josh Hawley has been the face of a fight in Congress to reappoke and expand access to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Law (REC), which provides compensation to people exposed to nuclear waste. Now, Hawley has announced an advance: the re -authorization and expansion of the program in the version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”.
If the version of the Senate bill is finally adopted, it will include in it the greatest expansion of the program since its inception in 1990, allowing people in regions of Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska, as well as the “Downwinders” already qualified exposed to the nuclear radiation of the atomic pump tests, are compensated for exposure to toxic waste.
In an exclusive telephone interview with ABC News on Thursday night, Hawley described the inclusion of the records of the Senate of the Megabill that advances on the legislative agenda of President Donald Trump, a “great step forward” in the fight to ensure compensation for the people affected by the nuclear exposure.
“This will be, if we can approve the great bill, it will be a great huge victory,” said Missouri Republican during the phone call.
The proposed re -authorship will be included in the part of the Judicial Committee of the Senate of the Reconciliation Package. In addition to the expansion and re-authorization, the proposal also allows the statements to be used for higher levels of atmospheric tests and adds to the workers of the uranium mines that worked in the mines of 1971-1990 to be eligible for benefits under the bill.
“There will be more to do,” said Hawley. “But this is a very significant expansion.”
Senator Josh Hawley talks to the press after voting about Michael Duffey’s nomination to be under Secretary of Defense for acquisition and support, on June 2, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Hawley has dedicated himself to trying to reauthorize collecting for several years. Some of his constituents in St. Louis are affected by the nuclear waste of the Manhattan project that is currently stored in the West Lake landfill in Bridgeton, Missouri.
One of those constituents is Dawn Chapman, who lives on Miles from the West Lake’s landfill and whose son and husband suffer from autoimmune diseases as a result of exposure to toxic waste near his home. Chapman has been in Capitol Hill several times in recent years to advocate for families such as his.
“Tonight, we know we are not alone,” Chapman told ABC News on Thursday. “With the help of Senator Hawley and the members of our community, as well as our other rea bipartisan family, we have been able to turn on the lights and make it bigger to cover more communities.”
For those affected by the nuclear exposure, Hawley said he hopes that this moment shows that the country is standing next to him.
“I think it’s really an incredible sign that the country is with them,” said Hawley. “I think this is a claim measure. It is a measure of appreciation.”
The Senate has approved twice an expansion and re -authorization of collecting with bipartisan support, but the bill has failed to gain traction in the Chamber, partly due to the concerns about the very high price originally estimated by the Congress Budget Office. That price has been refuted by the proponents of the invoice, and have taken measures to modify it to reduce the cost.
With an additional review and with programs established in the sunset in 2028, the price should, said Hawley, fit well within the funds assigned to the Judicial Committee to prepare its part of the reconciliation package. The CBO has not yet obtained this part of the package.
The Senate will still need to maneuver these provisions through the Senate Procedure Rules Test, as well as the Finnicky Senate Republican Party Conference, but Hawley said that the leader of the majority, John Thune, has been an ally of including the grocery language in the package. Thune’s support could be critical to maintain language in the bill.
“I wouldn’t be in this brand if it weren’t for him and his commitment to reconciliation. He has been an excellent partner,” said Hawley.
The president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has also conveyed that “he wants to approve the Ra Law bill,” said Hawley. The inclusion in the bill would make it difficult for the Chamber to reject the provisions of Ra, since the package is massive and includes many other priorities of the Republican Party.
Hawley said he has spoken with Trump about the measure to include this legislation in the Tax and Immigration bill.
“He has been very involved in everything, and he and I have talked about the Recar program before on many occasions, we are glad for his participation in all this,” Hawley said about his conversations with Trump.
