RECA expansion brings relief, new battles for downwinders
WINDOW ROCK
For Kathleen Tsosie, a two-time cancer survivor and advocate, the RECA changes were a hard-fought victory and a reminder of unfinished business.
So when Congress renewed and expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, downwinders like Tsosie and uranium-impacted families across the Southwest felt both relief and frustration.
Tsosie, who also works with the Farmington Cancer Support Group, has spent years lobbying in Washington, D.C., and organizing in New Mexico to ensure victims of nuclear testing and uranium industry work are recognized.
“We finally got the state of New Mexico’s pass for compensation for $100,000,” she said. “So there’s a bittersweet to that. But the people who did not get the additional $50,000, who got that $50,000 in the past, are not qualified this round.”
Win with gaps
She intends to help lead a petition drive to amend the law so that earlier recipients can receive the additional $50,000. She also wants affidavit options restored for people born at home, saying their removal could prevent Navajo and other rural families from proving eligibility.
To help families understand the process, Tsosie is organizing a free Downwinders Educational Seminar at the Farmington Civic Center on Oct. 11. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with lunch provided and no preregistration required. Volunteers and experts from Prescott and Flagstaff will walk people through the forms. Attorneys and federal program navigators are also expected to attend.
“Hopefully, everybody will bring a pencil and a pen so they can write down the information,” Tsosie said. “They already suffered enough. Because going through chemo is not an easy thing to go through. There are surgeries, there are pokes and needles, and all those chemicals and the side effects you have to deal with.”
To read the full article, please see the Sept. 25, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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