A shadow looms over those affected by Cold War-era nuclear tests as a crucial federal compensation program sits in limbo. The expiration of a 34-year-old law leaves many grappling with severe health issues without the financial support needed for treatment. As the year draws to a close, advocates are intensifying efforts to push Congress for a renewal and expansion of this vital aid.
At just four years old, Maggie Billiman recalls witnessing a nighttime nuclear explosion from her home in the Navajo Nation. “We saw this mushroom cloud. And it was huge,” she remembers, recounting her mother’s confusion over the spectacle.
Billiman attributes the health issues afflicting her family and community to these nuclear tests. Her own battle with pancreatic surgery adds to the family’s struggles, which include various cancers affecting her siblings and relatives. “I wanted to be able to save my family, my community… many people dying, they’re dying right now, suffering and dying,” she expresses.
Her father, a Navajo Code Talker, succumbed to stomach cancer after receiving a compensation of $50,000 under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Despite the payment, the medical debts remain overwhelming. “My father saved this country. For me, I wasn’t in it for the money. You can’t put a price tag on family,” Billiman states.
Enacted in 1990, RECA provided partial restitution for those residing near the Nevada Test Site and uranium workers in certain states, offering payments ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 for specific health conditions caused by radiation exposure. However, the program lapsed last June when the U.S. House declined to renew it, leaving future claimants without recourse.
In response, Billiman joined other advocates on a journey to Washington, D.C., to rally support for RECA’s renewal. “There’s only the fight in me that’s going,” she asserts, emphasizing the urgency of recognition and justice before it’s too late.
Despite facing resistance from some lawmakers concerned about cost, RECA maintains bipartisan backing. Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton urges legislative action, calling the issue “a moral test.” He insists, “It’s a measure of justice. It’s not full justice, but certainly it’s the right thing to do.”
The U.S. Senate has already approved a bill to extend and enhance RECA, incorporating additional ailments and exposure sites. This legislation would also extend coverage to uranium miners active until 1990 and regions like parts of Mohave County that were initially excluded.
Advocates like Cullin Pattillo, who seeks to include western Arizona in RECA’s coverage, highlight the personal toll of radiation exposure. His family’s battle with cancer underscores the necessity of acknowledgment and aid. “It’s obscene what they’re doing,” Pattillo contends. “Quite honestly, my father at least deserves to be acknowledged as a hero-patriot of the Cold War.”
With the current Congress nearing its end, the urgency to act on RECA grows. “It needs to pass,” Pattillo insists, urging lawmakers to prioritize lives over politics.
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