Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is calling for President Joe Biden to put action behind his words that offered support for nuclear test victims.
Biden was asked about compensating those affected by government nuclear testing while speaking in Belen, New Mexico, at a wind tower factory on Wednesday. He said, “I’m prepared to help in terms of making sure that those folks are taken care of.”
HAWAII FIRE: FIREFIGHTERS DROP 150,000 GALLONS OF WATER AS FIRE DEVASTATES ISLANDS
The president’s comments came a week after he watched the film Oppenheimer, a dramatic retelling of how the New Mexico nuclear testing site came to be.
Hawley praised Biden’s willingness to offer aid, taking it as an endorsement of legislation he designed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“Compensating victims of government-caused nuclear contamination and negligence should not be a partisan issue. It’s about justice. I am glad President Biden has announced his support of our amendment, but now we need action,” Hawley said in a statement Thursday. “This amendment must be included in the final negotiated defense bill that the President signs into law. And we also must hear from the Biden Administration about their next steps to support victims in the St. Louis area and beyond.”
Hawley’s amendment was approved by the Senate by a 61-37 vote last month. His sponsorship came after the Weldon Spring site in Missouri criticized the Department of Energy’s cleanup and monitoring efforts in 2021. As a result, the senator asked for compensation for victims of radioactive contamination at a site in St. Charles County, Missouri, as well.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) also sponsored the amendment on behalf of the constituents in his state affected by the federal government’s testing of the nuclear bomb between 1942 and 1945. The site, named after the experiment Trinity, is now the White Sands Missile Range and is owned by the Department of Defense. It is available for tours two times a year.
Oppenheimer earned $552.9 million since its release three weeks ago. This makes it the highest-earning film about World War II.
