Nuclear Test Fallout Compensation Fight Revived

Dozens of advocates are blanketing Capitol Hill this week, their mission a desperate plea for Congress to revive a program that provided compensation for individuals suffering from the long-lasting impacts of US nuclear testing programs. These advocates, many of whom are indigenous Americans and those directly affected by the downwind fallout of atomic testing, are calling for the resurrection of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), a 34-year-old federal program that expired on June 7th. The program, a lifeline for those sickened by the U.S. atomic testing program, including the so-called atomic veterans, faces an uncertain future.