Mark Udall: “I am pleased to give my strong support for this amendment. It represents an overall bipartisan effort that I believe…”

“I am pleased to give my strong support for this amendment. It represents an overall bipartisan effort that I believe must move forward in order to provide fair and just compensation for those who worked long and hard to win the Cold War: the Atomic Veterans. Many of these Atomic Veterans are ill or dying from diseases due to their exposures to hazardous materials at Department of Energy facilities. New Mexico has a long and valued tradition of service to our Nation. New Mexico's workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, have suffered from illness due to their exposures to radiation, beryllium, and other hazardous materials used in the production of nuclear weapons. It is right that we compensate the Atomic Veterans from all over this great nation who have sacrificed so courageously for their country. We spend billions of dollars on cleanup of nuclear waste sites; we now take responsibility for the human cost of the Cold War. Congress must act, first to support this amendment, and then to pass legislation that is just and fair. When I introduced legislation to compensate Atomic Veterans from Los Alamos National Laboratory, I urged my colleagues from around the country, Democrats and Republicans, who also have victims in their districts, to work together to craft a solution to this problem at the national level. This amendment is a step in that direction. Compensation is important because these workers are true patriots.”