Luján: NDAA Fails to Provide Justice for New Mexicans Who Sacrificed for National Security

Despite Bipartisan Support, NDAA Excludes Senate-Passed RECA Measure

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Report failed to include the Senate-passed Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA):

“The NDAA fails to provide justice for New Mexicans who sacrificed for our national security. Generations of New Mexicans and their families have gotten sick and died from the radiation exposure and the lasting impacts of the Trinity Test. For New Mexico to have been ground zero for the first nuclear weapon – and left out of the original RECA program – is an injustice.

“Months ago, with the partnership of Senators Hawley and Crapo, the Senate passed my legislation to strengthen the RECA program and finally include support for New Mexico Downwinders and uranium mine workers. This would not have been possible without the advocacy of survivors and advocates who often traveled to D.C. to share their stories and make the case for strengthening RECA.

“Despite bipartisan support, Republican leadership blocked the inclusion of this critical provision in the NDAA. By doing so, they failed to do right by people whom the federal government harmed. But I am not giving up on justice for New Mexicans and all those deeply impacted by radiation exposure and nuclear testing. Over the course of this process, our support has only grown and the fight doesn’t end here.”

Background: Since being elected to Congress, Senator Luján has played the leading role in advancing legislation to strengthen the RECA program. In July, Senator Luján secured the inclusion of his RECA legislation in the Senate-passed NDAA – the most significant Congressional action in decades to strengthen the program. Senator Luján has introduced RECA legislation in every Congress since being elected in 2008.

###