[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 111 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H3138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               OUR NUCLEAR LEGACY IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS

  (Ms. PORTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, July marks the 75th anniversary of the first 
U.S. nuclear test in the Marshall Islands, a tragedy that continues 
today.
  Orange County is proud to be home to one of the oldest Marshallese-
American communities. But why the Marshallese came to the United States 
is a disgraceful chapter in our Nation's history. From 1946 to 1958, 
the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands.
  We deceived the Marshallese, using them as guinea pigs to study the 
effects of radiation. We turned ancestral lands into dumping grounds 
for nuclear waste.
  We still haven't done the bare minimum to make this right. We 
established a tribunal for compensation but provided less than 10 
percent of the money owed. We don't even translate environmental 
studies into Marshallese.
  Our nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands is at the nexus of 
President Biden's top priorities: racial justice, healthcare, climate 
change, U.S. global reputation, and countering China through diplomacy. 
We must commit across party lines to make this right.

                          ____________________