Republican tensions over whether to extend and expand radiation damage compensation for victims of U.S. nuclear weapons tests spilled over onto the Senate floor on Thursday.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tried to push a bill through unanimity that would have extended existing benefits for victims covered under current law, but not expanded them to new victims.
His move was blocked by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democrat Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, who both said they opposed his move and would like to extend the measure to other victims.
“We cannot allow access to RECA benefits to be held hostage during negotiations,” Rep. Lee said in a speech to Congress on Thursday, seeking to advance a more restrictive bill unanimously.
He characterized the effort as an attempt at “clean reauthorization,” something Hawley balked at.
“There’s nothing clean about this bill,” Hawley said. “This bill would taint Missouri with nuclear radiation.”
The bill in question is known as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). It was first passed in 1990 and provides compensation to some Americans who were exposed to radiation from nuclear testing programs.
Those benefits are scheduled to expire in June unless the bill is reauthorized. But not all victims of the U.S. nuclear program qualify for benefits under the law, which is why lawmakers are pushing to expand it.
Hawley has been at odds with his own party leadership over the issue, particularly as he seeks to pressure the House to pass the expansion after it has been approved by the Senate.
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