Navajo Uranium Miners and Atomic Bomb Test Victims Demand Justice Amid Congressional Aid Lapse

A federal program aimed at compensating individuals exposed to fallout from U.S. nuclear testing expired on June 10. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), established in 1992, has disbursed $2.6 billion to over 41,000 claimants. By September’s end, the U.S. Justice Department had projected the approval of another 1,070 claims.

“Why do we have to beg to pass RECA?” asked Maggie Billiman. Her father, a Navajo Code Talker, died of stomach cancer, a fate she believes stemmed from radioactive fallout in their Arizona hometown. “You don’t put a price tag on human life.”

Since the Manhattan Project’s first test in 1945, the U.S. conducted 94 nuclear tests generating radioactive clouds, predominantly in Nevada and one in New Mexico. Many people, including those in Arizona, unwittingly faced hazardous fallout.

Sawmill, Arizona, where Billiman’s family hails from, is among the areas qualifying for RECA compensation. Princeton University research indicated widespread radioactive contamination throughout Arizona. Before World War II, the state had a population of about 500,000, which grew to over 1.3 million by the early 1960s.

RECA was Congress’s response in 1992 to claims from downwinders and uranium miners. The program offered apologies and payments ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 for illnesses linked to radiation exposure.

For almost five decades, 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from Navajo lands, often with little regard for worker safety. Chris Shuey of the Southwest Research and Information Center highlighted that living near mine waste dramatically increases health risks.

Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado accounted for the majority of RECA’s $1.8 billion in payouts. Approximately 5,480 Native Americans, predominantly Navajo, received $372.6 million through the program.

Despite Senate approval to extend RECA for five more years, the bill remains stalled in the House. No explanations have emerged from House Speaker Mike Johnson or Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Their aides have not commented.

The program’s expiration is a significant setback for many, including Maggie Billiman’s community in Sawmill, Arizona. Billiman’s father, who served as a Code Talker, succumbed to stomach cancer in 2001. Initially unaware of RECA, Billiman now helps her neighbors apply for compensation.

The EPA plans to clean up 250 uranium mines on Navajo land. Yet, many sites remain untouched despite interim efforts, which include excavating contaminated soil and setting up protective barriers.

Linda Evers, who worked at a uranium mill in New Mexico in the early 1980s, remains ineligible for RECA due to the cutoff for compensation being set at 1971. Evers believes her and her children’s health problems are rooted in radiation exposure.

“They just act like we’re the invisible dead people,” said Evers. Her advocacy group for post-1971 uranium workers dwindled to just her.

The lapse of RECA is seen by many as an injustice. “This is a matter of justice,” said Rep. Greg Stanton of Phoenix. Families affected by radiation exposure, like Cullin Pattillo whose father died of liver cancer, are also vocal about the program’s importance.

“He’s playing politics,” Pattillo said of the House Speaker. “This is something that has already been paid for by the lives of the people that have died.”

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the duration of the RECA extension under a pending bill. The correct extension would be for five years.