{"id":2248393,"date":"2024-05-20T07:32:03","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T11:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-caught-in-hawley-war-path-over-radiation-compensation-fund\/"},"modified":"2024-05-20T07:38:20","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T11:38:20","slug":"mike-johnson-caught-in-hawley-war-path-over-radiation-compensation-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-caught-in-hawley-war-path-over-radiation-compensation-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Johnson embroiled in Hawley&#8217;s quest for radiation compensation fund"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmike-johnson-caught-in-hawley-war-path-over-radiation-compensation-fund%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2248393&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is in \u2062a public \u200cfeud with Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana over\u200b a bill compensating radiation victims. Hawley&#8217;s vocal criticism of Sen. Mitch McConnell and his efforts to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act have sparked\u2064 controversy. The bill\u2064 faces opposition due to its\u200d high cost, but Hawley \u200cremains persistent. Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri is engaged\u2062 in a public dispute with Speaker Mike \u2064Johnson \u200cfrom Louisiana regarding a bill aimed at compensating radiation\u200b victims. Hawley&#8217;s outspoken \u200ccritique of Senator \u200bMitch McConnell and his push to expand the Radiation \u200dExposure Compensation Act\u200b have stirred \u200ddebate. \u2063Despite facing resistance due to\u200b the bill&#8217;s \u2064expenses, Hawley continues to\u200c press on.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/josh-hawley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Josh Hawley<\/a> (R-MO) is picking a very public fight with Speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) over a bill to compensate radiation victims in his home state of Missouri.<\/p>\n<p>The freshman senator, a loud critic of Republican leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY), is not known for holding his tongue when it comes to leadership. But he\u2019s been unusually vocal about expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, opposed by Republicans due to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/speaker-pelosis-new-house-rules-package-silences-the-voice-of-republican-minority\/\" title=\"Speaker Pelosi\u2019s new House rules package silences the voice of Republican minority\">large price tag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s tried to get the bill attached, so far unsuccessfully, to virtually every piece of must-pass legislation and has in recent days laid into Johnson, who will decide whether it gets a vote in the House.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Hawley delivered a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oSFZEJLI3F0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>floor speech<\/a> attacking the speaker\u2019s \u201cindecision\u201d on the program, which expires on June 7, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/inside-congress\/2024\/05\/15\/johnsons-low-drama-strategy-vs-his-conference-00158245\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>vents<\/a> to Capitol Hill reporters that it would be \u201cunconscionable\u201d for him not to act. The bill, known as RECA, cleared the Senate in March in a 69-30 vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re to the point where he\u2019s not necessarily taking my phone calls,\u201d Hawley joked of Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>The two did speak shortly after Johnson became speaker in October, Hawley told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in an interview, while a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and outside advocates have joined in the pressure campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s staff met with radiation victims on Thursday in a meeting hosted by Rep. Ann Wagner\u2019s (R-MO) office. Some of the bill\u2019s sponsors subsequently held a press conference with advocates on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson is publicly noncommittal on the legislation, which renews the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/years-after-his-death-two-more-women-sue-jeffrey-epsteins-estate-alleging-sexual-abuse\/\" title=\"Years After His Death, Two More Women Sue Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s Estate, Alleging Sexual Abuse\">compensation program<\/a> for another five years and extends coverage to new states where the U.S. government tested nuclear weapons or mishandled waste, including New Mexico, Missouri, and Alaska.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s staff seemed receptive to advocates\u2019 appeals, according to a source familiar with the Thursday meeting.<\/p>\n<p>But Hawley is facing the same opposition within his own party that delayed its passage in the Senate for months. Republicans believe the program should be winding down, not ramping up, and balk at its estimated cost of $50 billion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe speaker understands and appreciates Sen. Hawley\u2019s position and is working closely with interested members and stakeholders to chart a path forward for the House,\u201d a Johnson spokesman said.<\/p>\n<p>Hawley has shown a willingness to compromise in the fight. Senate leadership allowed a floor vote on the legislation after Hawley agreed to, among other changes, cut its original price tag. He first proposed a $150 billion bill that was reduced by $100 billion in negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>But central to Hawley\u2019s strategy have been his attempts to strong-arm leadership to the negotiating table through a combination of public pressure and legislative obstruction.<\/p>\n<p>Hawley has refused to allow the Senate to fast-track major pieces of legislation and, in a more controversial move, delayed the chamber from considering two former McConnell aides up for appointments in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>The tactics have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vietnamese-communists-use-climate-summit-to-eat-gold-steak-with-salt-bae\/\" title=\"Vietnamese Communists Use Climate Summit to Eat Gold Steak with 'Salt Bae'\">drawn media attention<\/a> to Hawley\u2019s efforts, but they also prompted McConnell, who apparently had RECA stripped from last year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act, to drop his opposition.<\/p>\n<p>The two worked out a compromise in which coverage was expanded to McConnell\u2019s home state of Kentucky, in addition to the lower price tag.<\/p>\n<p>Hawley is betting he can use the same playbook to wear down Johnson\u2019s perceived resistance. He and more than two dozen of his colleagues <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawley.senate.gov\/hawley-lujan-urge-speaker-johnson-send-reca-house-floor-compensation-funds-nuclear-radiation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sent a letter<\/a> to the speaker at the end of April urging House action.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, this year\u2019s NDAA may be the most realistic path for the program to be folded into a larger piece of legislation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, they\u2019re gonna have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-set-to-mandate-covid-19-vaccination-for-all-service-members\/\" title=\"Pentagon Set To Mandate COVID-19 Vaccination For All Service Members\">act sooner<\/a> or later, but I\u2019m going to try to find every avenue I can, every vehicle to try to force them to act,\u201d Hawley said of the House.<\/p>\n<p>The fight Hawley\u2019s picking is hardly his first. He\u2019s made his mark as a foe of McConnell, voting against his last run for leader, and has leaned into his brand of conservative populism since his election to the Senate in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>But this fight is notable for its bipartisanship. A bill that he calls his \u201ctop priority\u201d has the support of lawmakers from Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).<\/p>\n<p>The relative lack of controversy to this crusade \u2014 Hawley has variously called for the World Trade Organization to be abolished and Big Tech to be broken up \u2014 works to his favor. It\u2019s easier to build public pressure for a bill that would help cancer patients pay their medical bills.<\/p>\n<p>But he\u2019s also used that fact to make an electoral argument to Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I\u2019ve said to him is, listen, this is a bipartisan bill. It\u2019s great for Republicans, House Republicans who are in swing districts \u2014 in Texas, Arizona,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut most importantly, it\u2019s just good for the country and it shows the House can govern,\u201d Hawley added.<\/p>\n<p>His outreach goes beyond the speaker\u2019s office, though Hawley says he is in \u201cconstant touch\u201d with House Republican leadership. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt all levels,\u201d he said. \u201cUp and down. Everybody\u2019s well aware of where I stand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hawley also drafted letters to more than 70 House Republicans whose districts would be affected by the legislation expiring.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks with members of the media, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), the Democratic sponsor of the Senate bill, has taken the lead on speaking to members on his side of the aisle, including conversations with House Democratic leadership.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen this gets a House vote, I believe every Democratic member of the House of Representatives will vote for it,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Lujan\u2019s home state of New Mexico is where the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-footage-emerges-of-possible-war-crimes-in-ethiopia\/\" title=\"New Footage Emerges of Possible War Crimes in Ethiopia\">government conducted<\/a> the Trinity nuclear test in the 1940s, popularized by the award-winning movie <em>Oppenheimer<\/em>. Uranium miners in his state, many from the Navajo Nation, were also exposed to the environmental toxin in the decades that followed.<\/p>\n<p>In Missouri, communities near St. Louis and St. Charles, where the government stored radioactive waste, have also been affected.\u00a0However, both states were excluded from the original radiation exposure fund.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt left people out,\u201d Lujan said. \u201cAnd I would argue, probably intentionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hawley and Lujan invited RECA advocates to the State of the Union in March.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) clashes openly with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) over a bill for compensating radiation victims in Missouri. Hawley, a vocal opponent of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), is vocal and unafraid to challenge leadership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2248394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24059715209878-1-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2248393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24059715209878-1-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2248393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2248393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2248394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2248393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2248393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2248393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}