Fighting for Justice: The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act

How the U.S. Government poisoned its own people and continues to refuse to pay the bill

PSR is committed to advocating for the unknowing, unwilling, and uncompensated victims of the Cold War. They have been harmed, and their genes carry this burden through their family for generations. Although the U.S. Government has admitted that radiation exposure causes cancer and that it holds responsibility for these people’s lives, for decades, victims have watched as family members, friends, and veterans have passed away while fighting for justice. Many still desperately need support.

The existing RECA legislation is set to lapse in 2024, leaving many left out in the cold. This is a crucial moment in their fight for justice. The Senate recently passed amendments to legislation that will see RECA extended and expanded to help those who desperately need it. However, to come into force it must remain in the National Defense Authorization Act through a process of negotiation, known as conference, with the House. This is why it is so important that you write to your representatives and fight for the justice these people deserve.

Latest RECA News & Actions

The legacy of weapons testing and the fight for Nevada’s Cold War veterans

Op-ed by Magritte Gordaneer, PSR Nuclear Weapons Abolition Program Manager, in the Nevada Current.

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Trinity bomb test in 1945…horrific consequences

PSR Board Member Ann Suellentrop, MSRN, attended events in New Mexico commemorating the July 16 anniversary of the Trinity bomb explosion in 1945, 80 years ago.

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80 Years Since the First Nuclear Test: Earth Forever Changed

On July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert, the United States detonated the world’s first nuclear weapon. The Trinity nuclear test marked the beginning of the atomic age and a legacy of radiation exposure that continues to harm human lives and the environment nearly a century later.

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Indigenous Week of Action in DC to support RECA

Radiation survivors from the Navajo Nation, Laguna Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo and Hopi tribe are in Washington, DC, September 24th to 26th to urge Congress to re-initiate and expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).

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