"Nuclear Waste Exposure Funds: Hawley's Battle to Restore Funding"

Funding for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which provides compensation for families exposed to nuclear waste, has been stripped from the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Dawn Chapman, who lives near the West Lake Landfill in St. Louis, Missouri, where nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project is stored, has been fighting for years to secure funding for affected communities. Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, has vowed to stall the defense bill in retaliation for the removal of the RECA funding provision. The defense bill is expected to pass despite Hawley's objections.