By Kelly Lundeen
The federal program compensating radiation-exposed community members since 1990 expired June 10. Although the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) assisted many people, it always excluded several communities, including uranium workers after 1971, New Mexico downwinders of the Trinity nuclear test, and other communities in Guam, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, and Utah.
For years these communities led the struggle for RECA’s expansion to include them. For now, hopes for both the extension of the timeline and the expansion of the program’s eligible recipients have been dashed.
After receiving unprecedented support in the Senate, the extension and expansion failed in the House when Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring it to the floor for a vote, which if taken, was expected to pass. Republican opposition to expand RECA has focused on the cost to the federal government.
Tina Cordova is one of the Trinity downwinders and co-founder of Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC). She told KOB4 News, “I’m the fourth generation in my family to have cancer since 1945. And unfortunately, now I have a 24-year-old niece who’s diagnosed with thyroid cancer.” In response to issues of cost, Cordova wrote on the TBDC website,“ See the pie chart that shows how the cost of RECA [so far $2.67 billion] compares to the cost of the U.S. nuclear programs [$791.5 billion for 2023-2033]. RECA has been a pittance in comparison.” She said, “While they play politics, we’re gathering up our resources for someone to have cancer treatment. We’re having bake sales and car washes and selling cattle so we can meet our health care needs.”
Despite the end of RECA, there are other legislative opportunities to extend and expand the program. Grassroots advocates and allied legislators are committed in the struggle for recognition and compensation for the communities that were never included in RECA in the first place. Cordova said, “We will continue to fight for everyone who has been harmed by nuclear tests, mining, and waste, and we will leave no one behind.”
— KOB4 News and Source NM, June 7; Nuclear Watch New Mexico, March 20, 2024
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