After RECA Legislation Passed Senate with Strong Bipartisan Support, Luján Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Push for Speaker Johnson to Hold Vote

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately act to pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act. This legislation would reauthorize and strengthen the RECA program which was approved by the Senate with strong bipartisan support in March. This legislation is critical for communities and individuals who have suffered from the consequences of the United States’ nuclear testing program.

Senator Luján was joined by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), JD Vance (R-Ohio), and U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), James Moylan (R-Guam), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Val Hoyle (D-Calif.), and Joe Neguse (D-Colo.).

“Between 1945 and 1992, the U.S. conducted 206 above-ground nuclear weapons tests, dispersing radioactive material across vast swathes of the nation. The landmark film Oppenheimer has brought renewed attention to these events, particularly highlighting the first nuclear explosion in New Mexico in 1945. The “downwinders,” along with those involved in uranium mining, milling, and transportation, are still enduring the health impacts from their exposure to this radiation,” wrote the lawmakers.

“We urge action immediately to strengthen the RECA program before its impending sunset in June 2024. The United States government exposed these Americans to radiation as part of our national security efforts through World War II and the Cold War. It is long past time that RECA is strengthened to give these Americans their recognition and compensation. Their livelihoods, often devastated by the long-term consequences of radiation exposure, depend on your leadership and commitment to rectifying past injustices. Let us honor the commitment we made to these citizens by ensuring they receive the support and recognition they so rightly deserve,” the lawmakers continued.

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below: 

We are writing to urge you to immediately act to pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act, which was approved by the Senate on March 7, 2024 by a vote of 69-30. This critical legislation is critical to the communities and individuals historically marginalized and left suffering from the consequences of the United States’ nuclear testing program.

Between 1945 and 1992, the U.S. conducted 206 above-ground nuclear weapons tests, dispersing radioactive material across vast swathes of the nation. The landmark film Oppenheimer has brought renewed attention to these events, particularly highlighting the first nuclear explosion in New Mexico in 1945. The “downwinders,” along with those involved in uranium mining, milling, and transportation, are still enduring the health impacts from their exposure to this radiation. Initially established in 1990, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) acknowledges these sacrifices by offering a one-time benefit to those afflicted with diseases due to their exposure to atomic testing and uranium industry work. Since its establishment, we have learned that far more communities were impacted by radiation exposure but were left out of the program. With RECA set to expire in June 2024, time is running out to ensure these individuals are not forgotten.

Although the Senate took a laudable step by passing an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2024 to strengthen RECA, it was omitted in the final bill. Recently, the Senate passed a scaled down but nonetheless vital measure that proposes a five-year extension of the RECA program and expands compensation to downwinders in Western states, including New Mexico, and to post-1971uranium workers, alongside residents in Missouri, Kentucky, Alaska, and Tennessee who have suffered from exposure to improperly stored nuclear waste.

The action in the Senate to strengthen RECA was a meaningful step in seeking long overdue justice. But it is important that the scope of the RECA’s coverage be expanded to cover others who suffer the health consequences of the U.S.’s pursuit of national security to include regions in Pike and Scioto County, Ohio; Armstrong County, Pennsylvania; and communities near the Hanford site in Washington, where people have been adversely affected by the mishandling of nuclear waste. The residents in these areas deserve recognition and compensation for the health challenges they face due to government nuclear activity.

We urge to act immediately to strengthen the RECA program before its impending sunset in June 2024. The United States government exposed these Americans to radiation as part of our national security efforts through World War II and the Cold War. It is long past time that RECA is strengthened to give these Americans their recognition and compensation. Their livelihoods, often devastated by the long-term consequences of radiation exposure, depend on your leadership and commitment to rectifying past injustices. Let us honor the commitment we made to these citizens by ensuring they receive the support and recognition they so rightly deserve.

Thank you for your attention to this crucial matter.

Background:  

In March, the Senate voted 69-30 to extend and expand RECA. Since being elected to Congress, Senator Luján has played the leading role in advancing legislation to strengthen the RECA program. Last year, Senator Luján led a bipartisan coalition of Senators to pass RECA as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – the most significant Congressional action in decades to strengthen the program. Republican leadership ultimately blocked its inclusion in the final NDAA bill despite bipartisan support. Senator Luján has introduced RECA legislation in every Congress since being elected in 2008.

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