(PatriotSpotlight.org) – On Thursday the U.S. Senate passed landmark legislation geared toward compensating Americans who have been exposed to dangerous radiation by the government. The plans, first introduced over three decades ago, were sponsored by Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. The scheme will extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), broadening its scope to include more people who claim their illnesses are related to such exposure.
Despite concerns over the plan’s approximately $50 billion price tag, its co-sponsors have claimed that the government is responsible for the matter, and is therefore obliged to offer a solution. Hawley said it was “hard” to look people who had been impacted by the scandal “in the eye.” He complained that these people had been “poisoned by their government,” but had been told that the same government was not “there” to help them.
The bill, which has received bipartisan support, passed the Senate by a vote of 69-30, including almost all Democrats and 20 Republicans. It will now be considered by the House, where it is unclear if it will be approved. President Joe Biden has also directly endorsed the bill. There also remain complaints over the initiative’s fiscal impact, with conservative taxpayer pressure groups urging the need for budget offsets.
The backdrop to this latest legislative push is the ongoing legacy of uranium processing in regions such as St. Louis, which were central to World War II and the Cold War efforts. These locales sadly continue to grapple with uranium contamination and its health ramifications many decades on.
A report published in July 2023 highlighted the government’s and companies’ awareness of health risks related to improper waste management in St. Louis. Despite these findings, there are concerns over how to prove precisely what health issues are the result of radiation exposure.
Missouri state Rep. Chantelle Nickson-Clark spoke to the press about her personal connection to the issue, being a two-time breast cancer survivor with a family history of cancer and genetic mutation deficiencies. She represents Florissant, an area close to a creek contaminated by nuclear waste throughout the 1960s.
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