Washington, D.C

House leaves Washington without approving radiation exposure compensation act

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2024

House leaves Washington without approving radiation exposure compensation act

With the House not set to return to Washington until next week, the clock has run out on time to extend and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

“It is sitting in the House, the House needs to act,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., in an interview with Spectrum News. “If the House doesn’t act, it’s going to be on the House. They’re going to have to explain to the American people why they don’t want to help our veterans, they don’t want to help folks exposed to radiation — they’re going to deny compensation to people who are dependent on it all their lives. I mean, this is crazy.”

What You Need To Know

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act will sunset at the end of the week after the House failed to vote on the Senate bill to expand and extend the program

According to the Justice Department, which facilitates the claim program, the 1992 law has helped over 41,000 individuals access approximately $2.6 billion in funds to help pay for their medical bills for treating cancer and other illnesses traced to exposure to radiation waste

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., says he is not giving on the bill, saying “I will not stop until this is made right”

We reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s team for comment, but our inquiries went unanswered

Hawley, who has been leading the charge for RECA expansion in the Senate alongside Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., has expressed frustration over recent weeks by the lack of commitment from House leadership to bring up the bill for a vote, considering it passed the Senate by an overwhelming bipartisan measure not once, but twice.

Under the proposed RECA expansion, coverage would be included for uranium miners and individuals who were “downwinders” from the testing and mining sites, including New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Guam, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska. In Missouri, it would cover people tied to almost two dozen ZIP codes who may have been sickened by contamination from uranium enrichment in the St. Louis dating back to the Manhattan Project. The bill would cost $50 billion over five years and add as many as 600,000 new claimants.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed Wednesday that work to remediate a small portion of a contaminated waterway where nuclear waste was dumped in North St. Louis County resulted in removing more than 7,000 cubic yards of soil–enough to fill eight Olympic-sized swimming pools. The entire Coldwater Creek corridor may not be fully remediated until the late 2030s.

According to the Department of Justice, which facilitates the claim program, the 1992 law has helped over 41,000 individuals access approximately $2.6 billion in funds to help pay for their medical bills for treating cancer and other illnesses traced to exposure to radiation waste.

Claims need to be postmarked by June 10 to be considered to receive compensation.

“If you’ve been poisoned by the federal government, if the government has exposed you to nuclear radiation, and that is so many people in Missouri, the government ought to make it right. They ought to help at the least with your medical bills — pay em. And that’s what my bill would do,” said Hawley.

“The state of Missouri has been lied to for 50 and 60 years. They’ve told us — the federal government — there was no radiation exposure in Missouri. That was a lie. They said it’s all cleaned up. That was a lie. They said we couldn’t get sick because of it. That was a lie. Now our schools are closed, we’ve got the highest rates of breast cancer in the nation, some of the highest rates of childhood cancers and other diseases associated with radiation. This needs to be fixed. It should have been fixed 50 years ago.”

“We shouldn’t have to beg for people to be taken care of because they were exposed to radioactive waste,” Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. said bluntly Wednesday. “World War II is still killing people right now.”

Bush and other advocates are claiming a small victory in that a bill that would have only extended the existing program did not make it to the floor. They believe an extension would have killed momentum for expansion.

But past experience with other pieces of legislation may not back that theory up.

“History has shown that there’s been a number of things, such as the assault weapons ban and, others — such as the Patriot Act — that become much more difficult to reauthorize if you don’t give them the automatic extension,” said Todd Belt, a professor and Political Management program director at the George Washington University,

“Generally, when the government has done something that has caused harm to people, you think of the burn pits legislation that was recently passed, you usually get real big bipartisan support for it. So it’s somewhat unusual that you would see some recalcitrance from the House to move on this Senate bill.”

Advocates for expansion traveled to a political event featuring House Speaker Mike Johnson in Peoria, Illinois last weekend hoping to land a meeting in Washington this week. Once it became clear that no legislation was going to move in time to beat Friday’s deadline, those plans changed and they will instead be back at the Capitol next week.

Johnson’s staff did not respond to new questions about the possibility of a vote on the expansion bill this week.

Hawley said the fight is far from over.

“If it takes as long as I’m in the Senate, I will not stop until this is made right.”

Spectrum News’ Angi Gonzalez contributed to this report.

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Washington, D.C

Storm Team4 Forecast: Chance of severe storms before cooler Monday

Published

12 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Storm Team4 Forecast: Chance of severe storms before cooler Monday

4 things to know about the weather:

Storms overnight, severe chance
Cooler Monday
Clouds to start, then sunshine tomorrow
Cold next few mornings

After a very warm afternoon, there is a cold front that is approaching. The front will move through the area tonight, sparking showers and storms, then delivering colder air for the start of the new workweek.

There is a SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH for our counties to the far northwest, including Maryland counties Washington, Allegany and Garrett, and a portion of Morgan county in West Virginia. The watch is until 10 p.m. Sunday.

There is a chance for storms to be severe tonight, including the risk of damaging winds and hail. The risk decreases through the night as the storms move south and east with the front. The storms may be noisy tonight with thunder, heavy rain, and hail. Expect drier conditions after sunrise tomorrow.

Do not forget your jacket Monday. The cooler air behind the front keeps the area in the 50s all day. Lows will drop into the 30s Monday night.

Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.

QuickCast

TONIGHT:
Storms, severe possible
Wind: N 5-10 mph
Low: Mid 50s

MONDAY:
Showers before sunrise
AM clouds, afternoon sun
Wind: NNW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 25 mph
High: Mid-Upper 50s

TUESDAY:
Mostly sunny
Wind: N light
High: Low 50s

WEDNESDAY:
Sun & Clouds
Wind: SW 5-10 mph
High: Lower 60s

SUNRISE: 7:06 AM SUNSET: 7:22 PM
AVERAGE HIGH: 58 AVERAGE LOW: 40

Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.

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Washington, D.C

DC weather: Taste of summer turns to storms Sunday night into Monday morning

Published

24 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

DC weather: Taste of summer turns to storms Sunday night into Monday morning

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Forecasters are calling for a near-perfect spring setup on Sunday, with plenty of sunshine, blooming cherry blossoms, and temperatures soaring into the low to mid-80s across much of the region.

However, the warm, quiet weather won’t last long.

By the numbers:

After a cool start in the upper 40s and low 50s, temperatures are rising quickly under sunny skies. Many areas are expected to climb into the 80s this afternoon, with some spots pushing the mid to upper 80s.

It’s a brief but welcome preview of summer, and conditions couldn’t be better for getting outside.

With cherry blossoms nearing peak bloom, it’s an ideal day to head to the Tidal Basin, take a walk, or spend time outdoors with family and friends.

What we know:

A strong cold front moving in from Pennsylvania will bring increasing clouds later on Sunday, followed by a chance for showers and thunderstorms late Sunday night into early Monday.

Some storms could produce damaging winds or even small hail, especially to the north.

By Monday, the cold front pushes through, bringing a noticeable change.

Gusty winds up to 30+ mph develop in the afternoon
Temperatures fall back to more typical early spring levels
Morning showers taper off, with improving conditions later in the day

What’s next:

Looking ahead, the pattern stays active.

After a brief warm-up into the 60s midweek, another strong cold front is expected Thursday into Friday, bringing the next chance for unsettled weather.

The Source: Information from this article was provided by the FOX 5 Weather Team.

Washington, D.C.Weather

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Washington, D.C

Military deployment in D.C. could get extended until end or President Trump’s term

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Military deployment in D.C. could get extended until end or President Trump’s term

WASHINGTON (7News) — The District is reacting to the Pentagon’s alleged plan to keep National Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C. until 2029, the end of President Trump’s term, and his mission to make D.C. safe and beautiful.

At least 2,500 National Guard members have patrolled D.C. streets since last August.

ALSO READ | Judge rules National Guard deployment into DC was illegal; ruling faces appeal

Their deployment was initially scheduled to end in 2025. Then it was extended until the end of 2026. But now this could be home base for another three years.

Two U.S. officials told ABC News that the agency is planning to maintain a presence in the city through early 2029.

“We don’t need to have theater on our streets,” said Tropper Sanders, who has lived in the District for nearly 30 years.

The president first deployed the National Guard last summer, even as the District was already seeing historically low crime rates.

“There are crime and safety issues, but that should be handled with law enforcement and government,” said Sanders. “I think at a time when we are at war, we are expecting so much of our service members. We should not use their time in ways that are not essential.”

Some residents and city leaders said the military has helped clean up the city, but not with crime. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said he does not see the point of keeping the National Guard in D.C.

“I know that the President said it was all about law and order,” he said. “The National Guard does not do law enforcement. What I see is them walking around, during the snow, creating a path they were very good at, shoveling snow.”

Residents like Shanti Israni told 7News their presence is noticeable.

“They open people’s doors,” said Israni. “If there are people who need help with groceries, they’ve helped the people with groceries. They’re helping. But also, my hope is that people in the community can also fill that role.”

Mendelson said the deployment is costing taxpayers significantly.

“It could be $1.6 million a day,” said Mendelson. “That’s like between almost $400 million and $600 million a year. I don’t get the point.”

If they are ordered to stay, community members told 7News they want the city to put the services to good use.

“The mayor or the next mayor should really look at where the true hotspots or issues are where we can make the most of these servicemembers’ time,” said Tropper. “That does not necessarily have to be about crime. There are a lot of things that we can deploy these talented people to deal with. If we have to do this, then let’s at least figure out how the District can be so much better in 2029.”

“I also realize that the people making these decisions probably know a lot that we don’t,” said Israni. “If our country’s at war, I wonder if risks in D.C. will increase. If D.C. will become more of a target, maybe in that way it might be helpful to have people, but, if again, if the mission is keeping D.C. safe and beautiful, D.C.’s saving people already.”

A Pentagon spokesperson told ABC News, “The Department of War is committed to supporting the president’s mission to address the epidemic of crime in the nation’s capital. There are no announcements to make at this time.”

The District has been pushing back on the president’s deployment, with expectations of continuing to do so.

SEE ALSO | Legal questions grow over National Guard’s long-term presence in DC

“There’s pending litigation now,” said Mendelson. “The attorney general won preliminarily, and then it went up to the court of appeals, where there was a stay. It’s all pending. There’s further legal argument.”

Officials told ABC News the deployment plan was finalized last year and is awaiting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s signature.

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