Downwinders urge permanent recognition after RECA expansion; bill would place plaques at White Sands and other sites

Representative Vasquez asked the subcommittee to consider H.R. 42 90, the Downwinder Commemoration Act, which would place commemorative monuments in publicly accessible areas at White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands National Park to acknowledge harms from the 1945 Trinity test.

Tina Cordova, cofounder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, testified about the decades-long health toll on communities near the Trinity site. "We've been working for 21 years to bring attention to the negative health effects... My name is Tina Cordova. I'm a native New Mexican, a downwinder, and a cancer survivor," she said, recounting multi-generational cancer in her family and community and urging permanent recognition. Cordova said community health surveys collected over nearly two decades document recurring cancers and ongoing exposure concerns.

Committee members discussed recent changes to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Witnesses and members noted that, following an expansion, eligible New Mexicans can apply for a one-time $100,000 payment; Cordova described receiving calls from people who have applied and been paid and emphasized the importance of public outreach so eligible survivors know they can apply. She told the committee eligibility includes living in parts of New Mexico between 1944 and 1962 for at least one year and that 19 compensable cancers are listed in RECA.

Why it matters: Members described the bill as bipartisan recognition of historical harm and supported outreach to ensure survivors can claim benefits. The subcommittee held questions focused on outreach, epidemiology and ongoing medical needs in rural New Mexico. The hearing ended without a vote; members may submit additional questions in writing.