Nearly 80 years after the Trinity Test, the first nuclear test that was the focus of the film Oppenheimer, Congress has finally passed the largest expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in history. While FCNL is disappointed and opposed to the broader legislation in which this was included — H.R. 1 — RECA expansion is a long overdue victory that will finally provide recognition and compensation to tens of thousands of people who were exposed to radiation from U.S. nuclear weapons testing and production.
RECA was originally passed in 1990 to compensate uranium miners, downwinders, and nuclear workers suffering from cancer and other illnesses. But many communities were left out—especially Indigenous, Latino, and rural populations. They were harmed just the same but denied acknowledgment and support.
This expansion brings long-excluded groups into the program, including communities in Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, and Arizona. Some were first exposed as early as 1945 at the Trinity Test site. It also covers some communities who were impacted by Manhattan Project waste in parts of Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska.
Their advocacy turned grief into action, and action into law.
This is a major milestone, but it’s also bittersweet. Some impacted communities were left out of the expansion because it cost ‘too much.’ These exclusions are unjust and unacceptable. There is still work to do. But this victory was only made possible by decades of grassroots leadership from directly impacted communities. They spoke out, even when no one was listening.
Their advocacy turned grief into action, and action into law.
At FCNL, we are honored to have stood with these leaders and our partners across the country who demanded justice for their communities. We celebrated RECA’s extension in 2022, we advocated for the program’s expansion in a standalone bill that passed the Senate in 2023, and we spoke out when Congress let the program expire in 2024. This win is proof that persistence matters—that organizing works.
This expansion ensures that more victims of U.S nuclear testing and manufacturing can apply for compensation for two more years. We must use this win to keep up the momentum and press for RECA’s permanent expansion.
As people of faith and conscience, we will keep working until everyone harmed by U.S. nuclear weapons activities receives the truth, recognition, and compensation they deserve.
