Advocates request that people call House Speaker Mike Johnson and urge him to call for vote.
People impacted by the development and testing of nuclear weapons in the United States have been urging House Speaker Mike Johnson to call for a vote to renew the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act (RECA) before a deadline of June 7. RECA offers people health screenings and some compensation after they’ve been exposed to radiation through nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining in limited regions in the US.
This is only the latest Congressional action related to RECA this year. The deadline looms after the Senate approved, with broad, bipartisan support to extend RECA Act through the Hawley proposal that would expand RECA compensation to people impacted in additional regions and extend the act for six years. Some of those impacted for the past several generations include atomic vets, miners and downwinders, and Indigenous communities who have lived and worked at legacy uranium mines and nuclear test sites.
Groups and individuals traveled to Washington DC this month to speak with House Representatives and push them to take action. If the House does not pass the extension bill before June 7 final applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST. for any final benefits.
“If Congress doesn’t act soon thousands of people who’ve been left out of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) will be out of time and out of luck,” says Tina Cordova Tularosa Basin Downwinders Coaltion in New Mexico who visited DC last week. “RECA has provided compensation to some people exposed to radiation from nuclear testing and compensation and health care to some uranium workers for decades. Unfortunately, the program has never gone far enough and excludes too many people.”
The Union of Concerned Scientists put together a timeline to help simplify the corresponding events since December 2023 that can be found here. The Senate has taken action to both expand the regions from which people can make claims, and to extend the Act for six more years. The Navajo Nation sent leaders and members to DC this spring as well, advocating for the continuation and expansion of RECA.
As of May 23, according to the DOJ, 56,003 people have received compensation in the Act over the past 34 years. Since its inception, evidence has shown that the impacts of the tests far exceed the narrow geographic range first established.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, and Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley were included in the delegation.
“Our people have borne the cost of America’s nuclear program in their health and well-being,” Nygren said in a written statement. “The amendments we advocate for today are not merely legislative changes; they are affirmations of justice and a commitment to heal the wounds of the past.”
According to the Navajo Nation, “as of December 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice stated that 7,704 claims from tribal citizens representing 24 tribal nations had been filed with the RECA program, 5,310 had been granted and more than $362.5 million had been awarded.”
Organizations close to the issue are urging people to call House Speaker Mike Johnson and urge him to support communities that have been exposed to radiation from nuclear testing and mining.
