[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         EXTENDING THE RADIATION EXPOSURE COMPENSATION PROGRAM

  (Ms. TITUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of the Radiation 
Exposure Compensation program, which is set to stop accepting new 
claims on June 10.
  RECA is an essential program for those who are exposed to radiation 
connected to aboveground nuclear weapons tests conducted here in the 
United States from 1945 to 1962. Many of those tests took place in 
Nevada.
  While these tests helped the United States keep the peace during the 
Cold War, they also caused long-term health problems for on-site 
participants, uranium miners and transporters, individuals, veterans, 
and all who lived downwind from the Nevada test site. RECA provides 
compensation to those individuals who have developed various kinds of 
cancer.
  To date, the program has paid out $2.6 billion to over 40,000 
individuals, including 2,500 Nevadans, but these residents are in every 
State and territory. It is imperative that we not let this program 
expire.
  I urge the Speaker to bring forward legislation that extends RECA so 
that our government can compensate these Cold War warriors who 
sacrificed so much for our national security.

                          ____________________