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R-Mo. Senator Josh Hawley of the president stood shoulder to shoulder with a stubborn Democrat to celebrate the inclusion of important compensation for survivors of nuclear testing within the president. Donald Trump’s A big and beautiful bill for Tuesday.
Holy has fought for the passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) since the program was cancelled in 2023.
Among the Cross Isle participants was former Rep. Kori Bush, who was one of the most offensive critics of Republicans while in Congress. Holy hugged her But bush at the event.
“Thank you Kori. We wouldn’t be here without you and your work,” he said.
Political fight over a “big beautiful bill” shifts to the campaign trail
Senator Josh Hawley will speak on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at an event promoting the passing of the St. Louis, Missouri Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. (Fox News (Anders Hagstrom))
Also, D-Mo is available for the event. Rep. Weslie Bell voted against the OBBB but said he supports the Reca Act. Navajo Nation’s president Buu Nygren also attended the event and spoke about the impact of nuclear tests on his community.
The bill applies to sites nationwide where members of the US, civilian, military and Navajo countries have been exposed to radiation through nuclear weapon testing and storage of nuclear waste.
The event took place at St. Singh Park in St. Louis. The surrounding area is considered to be a cancer hot zone thanks to the storage of nearby nuclear waste.
The law applies to similar sites Across the state of Missouri Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska, but the bill and Holy himself supporters themselves say there’s more to do.
“It’s a great first step, but there’s definitely something to do,” NAACP St. Louis President John Bowman told Fox at the event. “This is a good day, but there are some good days ahead.”
What’s actually in Trump’s “big beautiful bill”
NAACP St. Louis President John Bowman on Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 with Bruce Morris, an environmental chair in St. Louis. (Fox News (Anders Hagstrom))
They say Bowman and others need to work to highlight some zip codes that are eligible for compensation and expand the documents that Americans can use to prove their eligibility for compensation.
Dawn Chapman, founder of Just Moms Stl, an advocacy group dedicated to the issue of radiation exposure, told Fox that the process (although difficult) strengthened her belief in the legislative process.
Los Angeles House Speaker Mike Johnson pointed out President Donald Trump after signing the big and beautiful bill in Washington, DC on July 4th (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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She said she saw staff from the other side of the aisle celebrate and share the High Five after the bill was passed. The bill finally arrived at the president’s desk after passing the Senate three times in recent years.
“The system still works. That’s right,” she said. “The media often don’t share it.”
