WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren met with Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) in his Washington, D.C. office. Senator Hawley has been a long-time friend of the Navajo Nation due to his staunch advocacy for the passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Reauthorization Act, or RECA, which was passed on July 4, 2026.
RECA’s reauthorization brought hope to countless Navajo miners and downwinders affected by the legacy of uranium mining in the Nation.
The passage of the reauthorization is not the end of the fight, however, as miners and downwinders need to apply for compensation through the Department of Justice’s RECA portal. President Nygren’s meeting with Senator Hawley focused on this topic as there has been a raise of predatory programs claiming that they can help uranium victims fill the application for just 5 to 10 percent of their compensation claim.
Both President Nygren and Senator Hawley agreed that the victims of radiation exposure should get the entire claim, without having to pay for someone to help them with the forms.
As such, President Nygren spoke of the Uranium Worker’s Program, a program for the Navajo Department of Health which offers to help Navajo uranium miners and downwinders affected fill their RECA compensation applications at no cost.
President Nygren also brought up S. 953, the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, the crucial water rights bill that he presented before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs last week.
Introduced by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), the bill is a historic and cost-effective water rights settlement that would benefit both tribal communities and American taxpayers.
Currently the Navajo Nation is working to get the bill and the settlement that it represents passed. Additionally, the Navajo Nation remains committed to ensuring all the Navajo victims of radiation exposure get the compensation they deserve from the federal government.
