•HJ 202 IH 
Whereas many of the members of the Armed Forces who par-
ticipated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll have remained 
largely ineligible for benefits related to radiation expo-
sure; 
Whereas the Government and the people of the Marshall Is-
lands have an ongoing need for assistance from the 
United States for personal injuries, adverse effects on 
health, the loss of land, and property damages; 
Whereas a study by the National Cancer Institute, published 
in August 2010, found that 55 percent of the cancers in 
Rongelap Atoll and 10 percent of cancers in Utrik Atoll 
during such period may be attributable to fallout expo-
sure; 
Whereas in section 2(c) of the Radiation Exposure Com-
pensation Act (Public Law 101–426; 42 U.S.C. 2210 
note), Congress apologized to individuals affected by 
above-ground nuclear testing in the Southwest United 
States, but the United States has made no such apology 
for the legacy of United States nuclear testing in the 
Marshall Islands; 
Whereas the United States continues to have a critical na-
tional security relationship with the Marshall Islands, 
which— 
(1) is home to a facility the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
refer to as ‘‘the world’s premiere range for interconti-
nental ballistic missile testing and space operations sup-
port’’; and 
(2) in conjunction with the other Freely Associated 
States, guarantees the United States strategic control of 
an area of the Pacific Ocean between the Philippines and 
Hawaii that is larger than the 48 contiguous United 
States; 
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•HJ 202 IH 
Whereas the sustained commitment by the United States to 
the Freely Associated States will— 
(1) ensure that the United States maintains control 
of shipping lanes in the Pacific Ocean; and 
(2) deter efforts by the Peoples Republic of China 
to alienate the people of the Freely Associated States 
from the United States; 
Whereas the Marshall Islands are more important to the na-
tional interests of the United States now than they have 
been at any time since World War II; 
Whereas President Ronald Reagan encouraged the people of 
the Marshall Islands to ratify the Compact of Free Asso-
ciation Between the United States and the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands, done at Majuro on June 25, 1983, 
by telling such people, ‘‘you will always be family to us’’; 
and 
Whereas the United States has a moral responsibility and a 
national security imperative— 
(1) to formally apologize to the people of the Mar-
shall Islands for the consequences of the nuclear weapons 
testing program; 
(2) to reaffirm the kinship and commitment of the 
United States to, and concern for, the people of the Free-
ly Associated States; and 
(3) to demonstrate that the United States lives up 
to its history and responsibilities in the vital Indo-Pacific 
region and elsewhere: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
That Congress— 
(1) recognizes that— 
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•HJ 202 IH 
(A) the United States nuclear testing pro-
gram and radioactive waste disposal in the 
Marshall Islands caused irreparable material 
and intangible harm to the people of the Mar-
shall Islands; and 
(B) although the United States governed 
the Marshall Islands during such nuclear test-
ing program and had complete responsibility for 
the welfare of the people of the Marshall Is-
lands, the United States— 
(i) failed to evacuate those people 
from areas contaminated by nuclear radi-
ation; 
(ii) the historic resettlement of the 
atolls occurred in conditions that carried 
risks, although remediation and cleanup 
has improved the conditions since that 
time; and 
(iii) conducted medical research on in-
dividuals without the consent of such peo-
ple; 
(2) apologizes on behalf of the United States to 
the individuals and families of the Marshall Islands 
for the hardships they have endured as a result of 
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•HJ 202 IH 
the United States nuclear testing program and ra-
dioactive waste disposal; 
(3) has committed to provide assistance to the 
Marshall Islands and the other Freely Associated 
States (the Federated States of Micronesia and the 
Republic of Palau) to adapt to the worst effects of 
the climate crisis which, among other existential 
challenges, includes rising seas that are moving ra-
dioactive matter outside of the Runit Dome, and 
should do more in this regard; 
(4) urges the Secretary of Energy to complete 
as soon as possible a radiochemical analysis of the 
groundwater surrounding Cactus Crater in accord-
ance with section 103(f)(1) of the Compact of Free 
Association Amendments Act of 2003 (48 U.S.C. 
1921b(f)(1)); 
(5) commits to securing healthcare coverage for 
veterans of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel 
who participated in the clean up of radiological 
waste of former United States nuclear test sites in 
the Marshall Islands; 
(6) affirms that the Compact of Free Associa-
tion, as amended and added to, between the United 
States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 
done at Majuro on June 25, 1983 (referred to in 
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•HJ 202 IH 
this resolution as the ‘‘Compact of Free Associa-
tion’’), most recently in the Compact of Free Asso-
ciation Amendments Act of 2024, reflected the ongo-
ing commitment of the United States to address 
problems faced by the people of the Marshall Islands 
stemming from United States nuclear weapons tests 
in many respects through section 206(c) of the Com-
pact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2024 
and other provisions, and is the cornerstone of the 
strong relationship between the Marshall Islands and 
the United States, which also includes— 
(A) vital contributions of the people of the 
Marshall Islands in the United States; 
(B) high rates of service in the Armed 
Forces by citizens of the Marshall Islands; and 
(C) a shared desire for a free, stable, and 
prosperous Indo-Pacific region; 
(7) has demonstrated commitment between the 
United States Freely Associated States and the 
United States Government to be the bedrock of a 
free and open Indo-Pacific through the Compact of 
Free Association Amendments Act of 2024; and 
(8) acknowledges that nothing in this resolu-
tion— 
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•HJ 202 IH 
(A) authorizes any claim against the 
United States; 
(B) supersedes any provision of the Com-
pact of Free Association or its subsidiary agree-
ments; and 
(C) serves as a settlement of any claim 
against the United States. 
Æ 
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