You might think the men and women who work on America’s nuclear arsenal would be treated with respect. From a defense perspective, they have one of the most critical jobs imaginable, with nuclear weapons still the ultimate deterrent that decides the balance of world power.
But, and this is a now a familiar tune, these people have been casually kicked to the curb by the Trump administration. As per a report in The Independent, former government employees who contracted cancer while working on nukes are now blocked from receiving any compensation.
This isn’t necessarily a specific edict targeting them, but a consequence of Trump’s plan to shrink the federal government. That’s led to the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, a part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention being effectively shut down, as there’s now no funding to keep it going. This board’s job was to review compensation claims for cancer from former nuclear weapons workers. No board, no review, no compensation.
Steve Hicks, 70, devoted his entire professional life to working for his nation, spending 34 years as a nuclear mechanist at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Speaking to Reuters, he revealed that long-term radiation exposure at work has left him with skin cancer and previously kidney cancer. Hicks, who voted for Trump, is just one of thousands of nuclear workers in the same boat, and he feels betrayed:
“I made a good living there but I am not happy that I am this sick. And there are people who worked there that are sicker than me. … I’ve contacted politicians and the White House and haven’t heard anything back.”
“Effectively stops the entire compensation process”
The CDC says their hands are tied and that there’s nothing they can do if they don’t have the funding for it. A CDC spokesperson explained:
“Meetings of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health are currently paused due to outstanding administrative requirements, which the program is actively working to resolve.”
As for the nuclear workers? Well, they get cancer, and they don’t get any compensation from the government. The situation sounds grim, with former nuclear fuel operator Brad Clawson telling Reuters:
“The board’s suspension effectively stops the entire compensation process for nuclear workers, leaving many without the medical coverage and recognition they desperately need. Thousands and thousands of people still haven’t had their day to prove that they were injured by this.”
As far as the miseries of the Trump administration go, this is relatively minor. But, if you do have cancer and desperately need that compensation to pay for life-saving treatment or just basic living expenses, it’s life or death stuff.
If there’s a moral here, it’s that random slicing away at the government with no plan has ripple effects and, even if you can’t immediately see it, the miserable deaths of those who sacrificed their health to prop up their country.
Published: Aug 23, 2025 09:22 am