Lujan Convenes Meeting with Chairman Nadler to Discuss Importance of Passing RECA Amendments

Press Release

U.S. House Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) convened a virtual meeting between House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and radiation exposure survivors who have been excluded from federal compensation. The participants shared their personal stories and urged the chairman to support Congressman Luján's legislation expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

"Throughout my time in Congress, I've fought to give voice to communities ravaged by radiation exposure during America's atomic age. Too many of these unwilling participants in our country's national security strategy are still struggling with illness or have lost loved ones to radiation exposure. I'm committed to sharing their stories with my colleagues in Congress to highlight the need to expand RECA.

"Chairman Nadler has been a champion of advancing justice for the most vulnerable Americans -- including through his dogged work supporting the 9/11 victims' fund -- and I'm grateful to him for taking the time to hear directly from downwinders, uranium miners, and others impacted by radiation exposure. Their stories are our most powerful tool in this effort to right past wrongs and ensure survivors receive the compensation and recognition they deserve."

Participants in today's meeting included Seth Damon, Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council; Tina Cordova, Co-founder of the Tularosa Downwinders Consortium; Tona Henderson, Director of Idaho Downwinders; Ken Martinez, former Speaker of the New Mexico State House; Robert Celestial, President of the Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors (Guam); Larry King, former Navajo uranium miner and representative of the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE); Keith Kiefer, National Commander of the National Association of Atomic Veterans, and New Mexico State Rep. Harry Garcia.

BACKGROUND:

Tens of thousands of individuals, including miners, transporters, and other employees who worked directly in uranium mines, along with communities located near test sites for nuclear weapons, were exposed during the mid-1900s to dangerous radiation that has left communities facing increased rates of cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses.

Last year, Congressman Luján introduced the ?bipartisan Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments, which provide health and monetary compensation for individuals who were exposed to high levels of radiation that caused sickness, cancer, and deaths in New Mexico and across the country. Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Mike Crapo (ID). RECA was first passed in 1990 to ensure the federal government met its responsibilities to individuals who made sacrifices for America's national security.

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