‘It’s moral, it’s ugly’: GOP split on removing compensation for victims from NDAA

The exclusion of a measure to expand compensation for people exposed to radiation from US nuclear tests from the annual defense bill this week marked another loss in the Republican conference.

The two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate in August but were not included in the House version of the bill and were eventually eliminated from the final legislation. Said the supporter of the Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) his removal is a “betrayal” of the country’s commitment to those affected by the radiation.

Proponents of the measure are pointing fingers at Republican leaders, saying they are responsible for getting rid of the NDAA.

Sen. told Ben Ray Luján (DN.M.) on the Hill “still cannot understand why the Republican leadership stands in the way of giving support to the American people, who, as human beings worked uranium mines, sacrificed a lot for the security of the country. purpose.”

He did not say who specifically in the Republican leadership blocked the measure. Hawley was more clear.

When asked why the amendment was removed, he told the Hill, “You have to ask” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

He said that leading Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) “was supportive” and he was not given an explanation from Johnson or McConnell about why the measure fell.

“The behavior is disgusting,” he added.

“To tell me that we have a million dollars to spend on defense contracts and nothing for the people of this country who are being poisoned by their own government — that’s ridiculous,” Hawley said.

The amendment will make it possible to extend compensation for people who were exposed to nuclear tests and nuclear diseases due to the actions of the US government and suffered from health consequences. These funds will expire next year, but the amendment will reauthorize them for another 19 years.

The amendment would also expand the rewards – offered for the first time to people in New Mexico, where the atomic bomb was tested in 1945, and Missouri, where the Coldwater Creek uranium mine was destroyed, as well as Idaho, Montana, Guam and Colorado.

The difference on the scale has marked a source of division among Republicans, as three prominent voices have called for compensation for GOP representatives – Hawley, Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho) and Sen. Eric Schmitt (Mo.).

Of the three, Hawley was the most vocal in condemning Republican leaders over the move to repeal the amendment and he also said he would try to delay the defense bill in response.

He told the Hill that he would force “every vote I can” and pursue “every obstacle.”

In a statement to The Hill, Crapo said “it’s unfortunate that there can’t be an agreement on the specifics of the (Radiation Disclosure Act) that would allow it to be included in the NDAA law this year. “

A spokeswoman for Crapo said “a number” of proposals were floated between the Senate and the House leadership to try to reach an agreement that either passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote or a which is more acceptable to the House.

But no one later accepted.

McConnell did not respond on the Hill when asked why the amendment was not included. The Hill has reached out to the offices of Johnson and McConnell for comment.

Some of the objections appeared to be cost-related. One conservative group — the Committee on the Federal Budget — opposed the measure on those grounds.

“We’re happy to see that the amendment to the document that was in place when it passed the Senate is not in the bill,” said Josh Gordon, the group’s policy director. health, The Hill.

However, Gordon said he would have been more receptive to the law if there had been efforts to reduce costs.

“There may be things to do to reorganize the conditions in order to get lower prices, and it would be appropriate to include them in a part of the law to increase or the price increase will be enough,” he said.

Negotiators tried to lower costs by proposing to reduce the number of years of expansion or inflation, ABC News reported Friday, noting that the efforts were ultimately insufficient.

The issue – and particularly the legislative crisis led by Hawley – marks the latest in a series of disputes between Republicans.

The most prominent part of these arguments in the past few months is the dismissal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) because of the legislation that prevented the government shutdown. Now, all eyes are on Johnson to see if he can deliver a budget-friendly bill to his party while also gaining Democratic support to pass the Senate and win the President Biden’s endorsement.

And while the GOP caucus in the Senate is generally more united than the House, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has ruffled the feathers of his Republican colleagues by restricting the military launch — a months-long blockade that will eventually end. this week.