The US Senate recently passed a significant measure to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which is set to expire in June 2024, with massive bipartisan support. The legislation, which includes a $5 billion compensation package for nuclear testing downwinders, now requires approval from the House of Representatives to become law as the program's expiration looms in less than 90 days. Advocates, including Senators and Representatives, have emphasized the importance of this act for victims across the nation, including Arizonans, Missourians, and additional victims such as Trinity test survivors. This step is crucial for recognizing and compensating the impacts of radiation exposure from the US nuclear program, marking a significant moment for activists and survivors who have long fought for recognition and justice.
The vote came 11 years to the day after Tina Cordova, a leading activist of RECA expansion and a cancer survivor, lost her father to a cancer that she believes was caused by Oppenheimer's "Trinity Test." More from @connor_echols: https://t.co/DAgHZws8Go
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act has returned to the headlines following the Senate's passing of an extension that would cover additional victims of nuclear test radiation, including Trinity test survivors. Learn more about their stories below: https://t.co/6A4zbWT0Qg
I’m proud the Senate passed this bill, and now it’s time for the House to act. https://t.co/GF7Hwlzedq
Yesterday the Senate voted for justice. But RECA expires in less than 90 days—so it is now incumbent on the House to send this critical legislation to Biden's desk and fully make nuclear radiation victims in Missouri and across this nation whole. https://t.co/MJKwmUOVJX
.@connor_echols on how victims of nuclear weapons testing in the US may finally get their due: https://t.co/DAgHZwsGvW
.@SenatorLujan @HawleyMO pass $5 billion compensation for nuclear testing downwinders. "Today, the Senate took another step forward in the long journey to delivering justice to Americans suffering from radiation exposure" -- Lujan. https://t.co/DAgHZwsGvW
Today, the US Senate voted to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. What's the importance of RECA? Earlier this year, Robert Alvarez looked at the harms of the US nuclear program, and how the government historically addressed them—or didn't. https://t.co/NfsT8izaNr
INBOX: Today, the Senate voted to advance a measure that would extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act past its current June 2024 deadline (RECA). https://t.co/uss3g7RITk
Glad to see my colleagues in the Senate take action to finally recognize the impact of radiation on Arizonans. I’ve long fought to extend and expand RECA - and I’ll keep pushing to pass it in the House to take care of AZ downwinders. https://t.co/ia1nXDIDGi
The Senate passed RECA with massive bipartisan support, but the fight isn’t over. Now the House must act. The program expires in less than 90 days. The House must act now https://t.co/TpqSw2dIEE