House leaders canceled a vote this week on a Republican bill that would reauthorize federal compensation for victims of nuclear radiation, capitulating to fierce opposition from bipartisan backers of a separate, Senate-passed proposal.
The scrapped vote on H.R. 8097, the “RECA Extension Act,” from Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah.), comes just days before the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act is set to expire on June 7.
It’s the latest turn in a weekslong clash between supporters of the two competing reauthorization bills. It represents a setback for proponents of the House’s clean, two-year extension while keeping alive advocates’ hopes of sending the Senate’s more comprehensive reauthorization to the president’s desk.
“There is a RECA bill passed with nearly 70 votes by the Senate sitting in the House waiting for action,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a sponsor of the Senate bill, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It’s the only viable option now. Pass it, Speaker [Mike] Johnson!”
