41 Utah lawmakers ask Congress to restart compensation for downwinders

SALT LAKE CITY — More than 40 Utah lawmakers are asking top leaders in Congress to reboot a program providing compensation to people exposed to radiation following nuclear weapons tests last century, after the program expired last year.

Utah was one of the states most heavily impacted by radiation fallout from midcentury tests in Nevada. The bipartisan group of lawmakers joined with Gov. Spencer Cox and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in calling for the reauthorization of the 1990 Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, which provides compensation to so-called downwinders who lived in parts of Utah, Nevada and Arizona.

“Our state Legislature has a long history of nearly unanimous, bipartisan support for related legislation, as shown in previous resolutions passed by this body,” the 41 Utah lawmakers wrote. “Our state’s tragic history of past uranium mining and downwind exposure from nuclear tests has compelled us to fight for Utahns who have been harmed, as well as to support those in other parts of the country who have similarly suffered.”

The signees of the letter run the political gamut — from House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee, R-Syracuse, and House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City — and include representatives and senators from across the state. Every Democrat in both the House and Senate signed in support.

The letter was sent Tuesday to the Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. House and Senate.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act lapsed last summer after the House of Representatives declined to take up a Senate bill that would have reauthorized compensation and expanded the pool of eligibility. Efforts to resurrect the program continued throughout the year, led by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico.

Missouri mines were critical for providing uranium to the Manhattan Project and subsequent nuclear weapons, and Hawley sought to have the program expanded to cover miners who suffered after being exposed to the radioactive element.

Ten counties in southeast Utah are covered under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, and Republican members of Utah’s congressional delegation worked late last year to include a compromise in a resolution to continue funding the government.

“I worked with the entire Utah delegation and many others in Congress … to craft a compromise measure that expands and preserves benefits for Americans hurt by government nuclear testing, mining and waste storage,” Lee said in a December post on X.

Lee said Johnson “blocked” the act’s reauthorization from being included in the funding resolution and criticized other “handouts” he says were included at the behest of congressional leadership to Washington insiders — which he frequently labels with the derisive monikers of “the Uniparty” and “the Swamp.”

“But now we’re told that a bill full of handouts from the Uniparty to the Swamp doesn’t have room to compensate people suffering from radiation exposure and other ailments caused by our own government. Outrageous,” he added. “Why are victims of our own government’s nuclear testing being forced (to) take a backseat to The Uniparty and The Swamp?”

Hawley continues to push for an extension and expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and reportedly told Thune he would vote against raising the debt ceiling — which allows the federal government to increase borrowing to pay its bills — without it.

Cox has also been supportive of expanding compensation, saying: “It’s the right thing to do.” The 41 Utah lawmakers agreed.

“The bipartisan process of crafting legislation through discussion and compromise is an example of effective governing and deserves your support,” they wrote. “Efforts to pass RECA legislation are ongoing in 2025, and we urge the Senate and House leadership to act without delay. We request that legislation reauthorizing and improving RECA be included in the next viable legislative vehicle.”

The full list of who signed the letter:

• House Republicans: Carl Albrecht, Casey Snider, Colin Jack, Cory Maloy, Jefferson Burton, Jill Koford, Joseph Elison, Karianne Lisonbee, Lisa Shepherd, Logan Monson, Ray Ward, Rex Shipp, Ryan Wilcox, Steve Eliason, Stewart Barlow, Tracy Miller, Troy Shelley and Tyler Clancy.
• House Democrats: Andrew Stoddard, Angela Romero, Ashlee Matthews, Carol Spackman Moss, Doug Owens, Gay Lynn Bennion, Grant Miller, Hoang Nguyen, Jake Fitisemanu, Jennifer Dailey-Provost, Rosalba Dominguez, Sahara Hayes, Sandra Hollins and Verona Mauga.
• Senate Republicans: David Hinkins, Derrin Owens and Ron Winterton.
• Senate Democrats: Jen Plumb, Karen Kwan, Kathleen Riebe, Luz Escamilla, Nate Blouin and Stephanie Pitcher.