Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said on Friday that he confronted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for not backing his proposal for compensating victims of radiation poisoning.
Last month, Mr. Hawley lashed at the congressional leadership for dropping his proposal to attach the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to the annual defense spending bill last year.
The proposal, which has the support of President Joe Biden, passed a Senate vote as an amendment with large bipartisan support last July, but some Republican lawmakers balked at its price tag.
Following a private meeting on Friday, Mr. Hawley told reporters outside Mr. McConnell’s Capitol office that he was “very direct” with the Senate GOP leader, who led efforts to remove the proposal from the National Defense Authorization Act, about the move being “a direct affront to my state,” the Hill reported….