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.

The advocates, a group of about 50 individuals who embarked on a 30-hour bus journey from Albuquerque to Washington D.C., are focused on convincing House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to hold a vote on a bill that passed the Senate in March to renew and expand the program. However, their efforts are met with resistance from some House Republicans who raise concerns about the program’s cost. "That's really difficult for us is that when Speaker Johnson blocks this bill, he's saying no to over 50 Republican House districts that would benefit from RECA," advocate Tina Cordova told NPR. "They make it out to be this issue of money... while we've been paying for it with our lives."

The advocates on Capitol Hill this week include members of the Navajo Nation, Laguna Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, and Hopi tribes, as well as former uranium workers and a group of St. Louis women impacted by contamination issues in their community. These individuals, bearing the heavy burden of radiation-related illnesses such as thyroid cancer and lung disease, are seeking justice for the suffering they have endured. “So many in my family have suffered from radiation-related cancers,” said Maggie Billiman, one of the trip’s organizers, in a statement from the group. Billiman and Cordova, known as downwinders – individuals who have suffered the effects of atomic radiation blown from the original testing site to other areas – have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of these tests. Billiman's father, a Navajo Code Talker in World War II and a downwinder, died from stomach cancer.

The group will be in Washington, D.C. for several days, kicking off their efforts with a briefing followed by a march to the Capitol on Tuesday morning. They will also join members who have pushed for the plan, including Sens. Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and several members in the House. In addition to demonstrations at the Capitol, including prayers, songs, dances, and a vigil for several days, the group hopes to deliver medical documents to Johnson on Wednesday showcasing the expenses incurred by survivors and their families to treat radiation-related illnesses.

The advocates, many of whom have been forced to rely on bake sales and garage sales to meet their expenses, are pleading for the government to acknowledge their suffering and provide the necessary support. "We go into financial ruin... having been basically subject to a bomb by our own government, and then left to deal with the consequences on our own," Cordova said. "We regularly hold bake sales and garage sales to meet our expenses. In the greatest nation on earth, that's what we're left with. We were bombed as American citizens. ...And for Speaker Johnson to say it's going to cost too much is totally unconscionable."