After decades of silence, RECA expands
but fight isn’t over

By Donovan Quintero | Jul 10, 2025 | News |

WINDOW ROCK

With tears, applause, and solemn remembrance, survivors of radiation exposure gathered Tuesday in a St. Louis, Missouri, park to mark the renewal and historic expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA.

The legislation, signed into law on July 4 as part of the sweeping “Big Beautiful Bill,” will provide long-overdue relief to many Americans harmed by the U.S. government’s Cold War-era nuclear weapons program, including thousands from the Navajo Nation.

Among those invited to speak at the press conference, hosted by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, were President Buu Nygren and downwinder survivor Maggie Billiman, who both offered heartfelt messages about the painful legacy of uranium mining and testing on their communities.

“This is a tremendous victory for all of us, especially the Navajo Nation,” Nygren said. “The Navajo people have always been there in terms of uranium development. Half of all uranium ever extracted in this country came from the Navajo Nation.”

He emphasized that more than 500 abandoned uranium mines still scar the land and continue to affect residents’ health and livelihoods.

The victory was deeply personal for Billiman, whose father was a Navajo Code Talker.

“Many of my community, family had died of disease caused by the radiation, including my father, Howard Billiman Jr.,” she said through tears. “I couldn’t save him. I promised to fight for RECA in his memory.”

Hawley, who led the congressional charge to expand RECA coverage to new regions, including Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alaska, called the legislation’s passage a “historic achievement.” He credited decades of advocacy from affected communities.

“They told us it could never be done,” Hawley said. “And now, finally, when the president put that pen to paper, something historic happened – the largest expansion of the RECA program in the history of the United States.”

To read the full article, please see the July 10, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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