Hidden in the quiet struggle of many communities across the United States lies an unsettling truth: Devastating health impacts of radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining. This silent crisis has impacted the lives of veterans, Indigenous communities, and downwinders alike. 

The invisible damage from radiation has caused myriad severe health problems, leaving generations of families struggling under the weight of medical bills, fear, and suffering.

Updates to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), now before Congress, seek to address this issue. These bills promise acknowledgment, respect, and rectification of a deep-seated historical wrong. But more than that, they expand access for compensation to victims of radiation exposure and close unnecessary gaps in coverage and support.

But this promise is precarious. Without public support and awareness, RECA expansion risks being overlooked or sidelined. That's why your signature and your advocacy are so crucial.

Consider the lives that have been affected:

• Downwinders who lived in and near nuclear test areas have battled cancer and other severe diseases, with many losing their lives to the insidious effects of radiation;
• Veterans who were unknowingly exposed to radiation during their service, and have since grappled with serious health issues; and
• Indigenous communities whose ancestral lands were used for nuclear testing and mining, and who have suffered untold harm, including debilitating diseases and environmental degradation.

Expanding RECA would ensure that all these groups receive the recognition they deserve, the compensation they desperately need, and the promise that their suffering is not forgotten.

An injustice that's ignored is justice denied. The power to change lives is in your hands. Show up for justice: Demand your members of Congress co-sponsor and pass critically needed amendments to RECA (S. 1751 / H.R.4426) today.