Arizona 'downwinders' exposed to radiation to get compensation under Trump's budget

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed his major reconciliation package he calls the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

The measure extended compensation to people who have been exposed to radiation from uranium mining and the testing of nuclear weapons.

The extension of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act doubles the amount of money victims could receive to $100,000.

For Arizona, the move expands coverage to downwinders south of the Grand Canyon in Mohave County, who had previously not been covered.

Cullin Pattillo is an advocate for downwinders and celebrated the move.

“It's giving us some justice. The money, the money will be nice for my mother. She could use it," Pattillo said.

Pattillo compared the $100,000 figure included in the law to the millions in medical costs treating his late father’s cancer from radiation exposure.

“It's better than nothing. But it's certainly not a life-changing quantity of money. It’s more of a ‘here, we’re sorry money, this is the best we can do.’ And that's OK. I understand the government's position on that," Pattillo said.

The compensation act, which expired last June, now lasts through 2028.