Local Indigenous communities that have been impacted by long-term uranium exposure will be traveling to Washington D.C. on Sunday to demand that Congress pass a bill that will compensate those exposed to radiation.
On Tuesday, as many as 50 or more Indigenous people from tribes that include the Navajo Nation and several Pueblos will be marching to Capitol Hill to demand that Congress end its delay and pass the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act, also known as “RECA.” The bill would compensate people exposed to radiation by the federal government.
This includes New Mexicans harmed by the first-ever nuclear test at Trinity, waste disposal, and uranium mining, which have left their communities with high rates of cancers and other diseases.
RECA expired in June and Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has refused to allow its members to vote on the bipartisan legislation, despite the bill passing the Senate in March for the second time.
The bill would extend the program for six years, increase compensation, and expand it to cover people who were previously excluded, including New Mexicans.
Patient Advocate and Liaison Loretta Anderson (Laguna Pueblo) said the coalition of Indigenous advocates has been continuously trying to reach Johnson but their words have gone unheard.
“We've told our stories, we've talked about, you know, even the children, and he's just not listen,” she said. “And so I said, ‘Well, what do we need to do? We need to stand up and demand that he listens.’”
Downwinder Maggie Billiman (Navajo), from Sawmill, Arizona, said her father was an instructor for the Navajo Code Talkers and passed away from stomach cancer in 2001.
“My dad always said being a military, you know, being a Navajo Code Talker, it's an honor. Why can't his children be able to be with the health care? That's the main thing," she said. "We need a good health treatment. That's what I want for everybody on the reservation."
Billiman said she’s going to Washington to demand better treatment from Congress.
“I know it's hard, even up to the White House. [But] like I said, there's power there," she said. "You know, they should be also compassionate. Take care of your people."
The House is set to recess Friday, Sept. 27, after a three-week session. It will not reconvene again until after Election Day.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez will host a send-off rally for those traveling to D.C. on Sunday, Sept. 22. The event will be held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque at 8:30 a.m. The bus will depart at 9 a.m., according to a press release from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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