This month, the world collectively commemorated the anniversaries of the atomic blasts that caused unimaginable destruction to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The recent release of the film Oppenheimer highlights how the creation and use of nuclear weapons have left an undeniable mark on history.
In a significant victory for communities harmed by nuclear weapons testing and production, the Senate has voted to extend and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).
Frontline communities are making their voices heard loud and clear. We must fulfill our commitment to the downwinders, uranium workers, and atomic veterans whose health was sacrificed decades ago for our government’s nuclear weapons program.
On this somber anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we call on Congress to recognize, apologize for, and provide compensation for the lasting damage the U.S. nuclear program has caused, both at home and abroad.
This week, we celebrated a vote in Congress to preserve the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which recompenses individuals sickened by U.S. nuclear weapons activities. As momentum builds for nuclear accountability, our elected officials should pledge to support compensation for irradiated communities who have been left out.
As U.S. leaders navigate the ongoing nuclear crisis with Russia, those who have suffered from decades of less publicized nuclear fallout deserve our nation’s attention as well. With an entire network of constituents and radiation exposure survivors speaking out, we believe legislators will do what’s morally right for the people whose lives and health were unwittingly sacrificed in the creation of our nuclear arsenal.
Nuclear fallout does not respect state lines or dates on the calendar. It is long past time to compensate Texans, New Mexicans, and downwinders of the 1945 Trinity Tests.
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