WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren today issued an editorial commentary in support of former Navajo uranium miners who will travel to Washington next week to seek justice through the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act, S. 3853.
The President said these workers and their families have suffered cancer, respiratory diseases and illness as a result of not being warned of the dangers of mining uranium despite those dangers being known.
“The harm it left did not end with the closing of the mines,” he said. “It has continued for generations. The toll of uranium mining is a profound chapter of our people’s history. It demands immediate and comprehensive justice.”
The President will join up to 70 Navajo and other southwestern tribal members when they march to Capitol Hill on Sept. 24 to demand action and just from Congress.
He said the U.S. Senate has already supported reauthorization with bipartisan support of a vote of 69-30.
“RECA has been sitting at the House Clerk’s desk since March 2024 awaiting action from Speaker Mike Johnson and House leadership,” the President wrote. “The House could act to reinstate RECA today. Sadly, Speaker Johnson has prioritized dollars and cents over justice for the communities poisoned by our government. He has rejected every compromise solution, shortening the duration of the program from 19 years to just six years with reduced compensation.”
He said the Navajo Nation is not asking for favors but justice. He said it is time for Congress to listen, act, “and to bring an end to this dark legacy.”
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