GOP Divided Over Removal of Radiation Compensation from Defense Bill

Republican Senator Josh Hawley is criticizing House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell for the removal of a radiation compensation reauthorization measure from the final version of the annual defense bill. The measure, which aimed to expand and reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, had received overwhelming support in the Senate but was dropped from the House version of the bill. Hawley, a cosponsor of the measure, called the exclusion a "betrayal" to the victims affected by radiation and pledged to vote against the bill. The original law provided compensation to those exposed to nuclear waste radiation, and the reauthorization would have extended the program and included additional sites.