Ben Ray Luján Presses CBO Director Swagel On Radiation Exposure Relief

last year

Before the Congressional recess, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) questioned CBO Director Phillip Swagel on nuclear bomb testing during a Senate Budget Committee hearing.

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00:00field back. Thank you again for your courtesy, Senator Marshall, and thank you, Senator Lujan,

00:03for your courtesy to your colleague. You are recognized. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

00:10Director, the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. This program was created to provide

00:16compensation and justice to those Americans who suffered devastating health impacts

00:22of nuclear weapon development and testing. Despite being created 34 years ago,

00:28people in states like New Mexico, which is where the first nuclear bomb was tested

00:35without warning to people in these communities, were left out of the program. Even the author

00:41of this legislation, may he rest in peace, the former senator from Utah, Orrin Hatch,

00:48he referenced this before he passed away about mistakes that were made in this legislation and

00:56how New Mexico is one of those mistakes not being included, not including post-1971 workers,

01:03which are uranium mine workers that worked in the mines after 1971, side by side with people

01:09that qualify for the program, doing the same jobs. These Americans, many of whom were

01:15the unwilling and unknowing victims of radiation exposure, have waited too long for justice.

01:21The Senate has now passed my bill to strengthen RICA with Senator Crapo and Senator Hawley twice,

01:26but we have yet to get a full analysis of the impact of the program. Meanwhile,

01:31the House has refused to act. As a result, the clock ticks on and Americans continue to wait.

01:38Those from New Mexico to Utah to Idaho and many other states have fought cancer. Too many have

01:45died and even watched family die alone, being ignored, all without recognition from the government

01:57that made them sick. Now, Dr. Hueso, as you work to get that full score, I would like you or your

02:06analysts and preferably all of us to get together in a room to meet with me and my staff and walk

02:14me through the state-by-state breakdown of who would benefit from this improved RICA program.

02:20Will you commit to securing that meeting? Yes, sir. It's because of the path that the

02:26legislation took to the Senate floor. As you said, you didn't get a full cost estimate from CBO.

02:32We've given some rough guidance on the cost, but you have my commitment that we'll come to you

02:37and take you through the estimate. You know, a challenge for us is the state-by-state part,

02:42just because we're set up to do federal costs. And so, just analyzing one state at a time is a

02:48challenge, but we will come and do as much as we can to make sure you get the information you need.

02:53Have you done state-by-state analysis before? You know, not of the RICA program. We have of

02:59some programs, but not of this one. Dr. Spiegel, have you conducted analysis

03:04for Wyoming? For, I'm sorry, say again?

03:06The state of Wyoming as it pertains to RICA? Oh, no, we haven't.

03:11Yes, the CBO has. And have you done it for New Mexico?

03:17Not separately. So, I've been told because the mistake

03:20that was made by CBO with the initial scoring, I wasn't planning on getting into this,

03:24but if I'm going to, if there's going to be something included in the record as to what

03:27the capabilities are or are not, Wyoming and New Mexico had to be reviewed because there was a

03:33mistake of including analysis of Wyoming when Wyoming was not included in the original bill

03:37and New Mexico was. And so, CBO had to look at that initially from its initial score to where

03:43we are. The score the CBO came out with with the initial draft was $160 billion, $150 billion.

03:52This program was started back in 1990. It's cost us a lot of money, $2.2 billion.

04:00It's hard for me to understand without seeing disaggregated data how the program grows

04:05exponentially from $2.2 billion over a 30-year period to 75% higher. So, I think it's important

04:13for us to get there. I think the other offices would also be very interested in presenting the

04:18facts to the Congress, to my colleagues, to the American people about what this is and what this

04:24is not. I very much appreciate what the ranking members shared about Tip O'Neill and President

04:31Reagan. That was a time when people in this town could still stipulate the facts.

04:39And then they would negotiate, but they could stipulate to facts what the receipts were.

04:45And I just want to make sure that we have the correct receipts in this place so that we can

04:49have an honest conversation about the policy and get help to a whole bunch of people across America

04:55who this country owes a liability to, owes an apology to, and quite honestly cost them their

05:02lives in many instances and the cancer that they're still going through today. So, I very

05:06much look forward to that. And Mr. Chairman, I have other questions. I'm going to submit them

05:10into the record and be respectful of my colleagues today as well, but very much appreciate the

05:15agreement to be able to secure a meeting and have a thorough conversation about this package, this

05:21legislation, for myself and there may be other offices that want to be included. So, thank you.

05:26Thanks, Senator Lujan, and if we can help facilitate that meeting, don't hesitate to ask.

05:31Senator Braun.

Ben Ray Luján Presses CBO Director Swagel On Radiation Exposure Relief

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