Daily on Energy: The latest pleas over compensation for nuclear testing victims
RECA BACKERS AT WORK ON CAPITOL HILL: Advocates flooded Capitol Hill this week to call for the extension and expansion of a bill compensating victims sickened by government-authorized nuclear testing programs, following a meeting with the office of Speaker Mike Johnson.
The details: Johnson’s office met with the victims on Thursday, following pressure from advocacy groups and fellow Republicans to meet with the downwinders amid calls to pass a reauthorization of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, the lead Democratic senator on the bill, blasted the previous iterations of the 1990 law that had left out communities in qualifying for the program, including an area in his home state of New Mexico.
“How’s it possible? How could Congress get something so wrong?” Lujan said during the Thursday press conference.
Luján, along with Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, has been calling for the speaker to bring their RECA bill to the House floor. The bill would extend RECA for five years, and expand to include additional states such as Missouri, Idaho, Montana, Guam, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alaska. The bill would also increase the payout maximum for eligible constituents from $50,000 to $100,000.
This is a largely bipartisan issue: Members from across the political spectrum called for RECA’s reauthorization at Thursday’s presser, ranging from Democratic progressives (Luján and Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez, Cori Bush, and Melanie Stansbury) and centrists (Rep. Gabe Vasquez) to Republicans (Guam Del. James Moylan).
Bush summed up the bipartisan nature of the cause: “When you have Cori Bush and Josh Hawley on the same side, fighting for the same thing for our Missourians, you need to listen,” she said at the presser.
The Senate also passed the bill in a 69-30 vote in March.
Paths forward: Having passed the upper chamber, the measure can be brought to the House floor as a standalone bill if Johnson chooses to bring it up – or it can be voted on as an amendment to a legislative vehicle. Vasquez mentioned on Thursday that he’ll be introducing the bill as an amendment to this year’s annual defense bill.
But: There is resistance from Republicans because of the cost of the bill – a rough estimate of $50 billion, without any offsets.
When asked if the speaker intends to take the bill up for a standalone floor vote, a spokesperson did not answer the question, but stated: “The Speaker understands and appreciates Senator Hawley’s position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House.”
The clock is ticking: RECA is set to sunset on June 10, 2024.