Lee Implores Hegseth to Help NV Veterans Exposed to Radiation and Toxins

Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to commit to helping victims of toxic radiation exposure who served at Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) during today’s Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Defense (DoD) budget hearing for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Secretary Hegseth committed to gathering more information and getting back to Congresswoman Lee as early as next week.

Lee has been a champion for veterans and victims of toxic radiation exposure in Nevada, especially veterans who suffered or died from exposure to toxic radiation and materials from decades of nuclear weapons testing at NTTR. 

A video of Congresswoman Lee’s questions and Hegseth’s answers is available here and transcribed below:

Lee: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Secretary, Undersecretary, and General, thank you for being here. 

Secretary Hegseth, about 11 years ago, U.S. Air Force veteran Sergeant David Crete, who served at the Nevada Test and Training Range, realized for the first time that the health problems he'd been experiencing were not an isolated incident but matched the health problems of many other veterans who had served alongside him at NTTR. 

He was sitting in his backyard, reconnecting with eight of them and asked them: “Does anyone here have tumors?” And six of eight of them rose their hands and then proclaimed that even some of them had children with tumors. Dave, as it happens, had recently had a grape sized tumor removed from his neck.

Three years ago he came to Washington when the VA had refused to provide him the kind of benefits and coverage he had earned, and which he needs from the VA because the Department of Defense would not provide the agency with his records of his NTTR service. I helped introduce a bill two years ago and have been fighting on his behalf ever since.

What is most frustrating about this fight is not that the federal government doesn't recognize these health impacts of their service. In fact, Congress 26 years ago provided the law providing medical coverage and compensation for the Department of Energy employees who served in the very same location that Dave Crete and his colleagues had served in. Instead, their fight is against the Department of Defense red tape, which you have been committed to fighting. Thank you. 

You see, one of the only things standing between the toxic exposed veterans at NTTR and comprehensive health coverage and benefits from the VA is documentation that the Department of Defense has that will prove that they served where they actually did. This documentation exists, and we're just waiting for the Department to act. Every day that you delay in providing this information, another veteran and their family suffers unnecessarily.

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet many of these veterans. Two hours before I met them, one of them received a call from his oncologist informing him that he had multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. Over the weekend, Dave was notified that two more of his cohort had recent deaths. 

The Invisible Enemy, which is an organization Dave founded, maintains a memorial list of those who worked at NTTR and have passed away. When Dave testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee roundtable 13 months ago, 462 veterans were on this list. Today, that list includes 565 names. Just one year of inaction has led to 103 veterans passing without the care that they earned, and their family without the benefits. This list grows by an average of one every two days.

Mr. Secretary, you have the authority to provide the VA with the documents they need today, to get these veterans the help they need. These veterans have been waiting far too long. Can you please commit to me that you will be able to provide that list or that information as soon as possible, so that these veterans can get the care and the benefits that they have rightfully earned?

Hegseth: Well, thank you for what you're doing for those folks. And I can certainly commit to you today that, you know, my Chief is right here. We will get a review for me as soon as early as next week and I'll get back to you on what our Department's position should be on that. 

Lee: Okay. Well first of all, we have the information. The Department of Energy has provided these benefits to the same cohort of people worked alongside them. We cannot wait for another review. I'm asking for your commitment.

Hegseth: I'm just talking about a full review. I’m just talking about a familiarization so I understand exactly what you're talking about, wrap my arms around it, and then get you a response. It's not a situation I have all the facts on. I just want to get all the facts and understand it before I commit something like that.

Lee: Alright. Like I said, one person every two days, one veteran who has served this country is dying and their families are going without the benefits they’ve earned. I can't express how urgent this need is. I thank you for your immediate attention to this issue.

Lee’s bipartisan Presumption for Radiation or Toxin Exposure Coverage for Troops (PROTECT) Act would expand VA benefits to veterans that were assigned to impacted areas of NTTR, offering them the potentially life-saving medical treatment and financial compensation they earned.

The PROTECT Act is endorsed by The Invisible Enemy, a veterans-rights organization composed of veterans and downwinders fighting for the thousands of military personnel who suffered or died from exposure to toxic radiation and materials at NTTR. In November, Rep. Lee held a press conference with the Invisible Enemy to discuss the lasting impacts of nuclear testing in Nevada and the need to expand health care for veterans who have suffered from exposure to radiation and toxic materials as a result of this nuclear testing.

Last year, Congresswoman Lee testified in front of the House Veterans Affairs Committee in support of her bipartisan PROTECT Act to get these veterans access to lifesaving treatment and compensation they need.

Lee helped lay the groundwork in the bipartisan FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to ensure veterans who served at NTTR and are suffering from toxic radiation exposure can access the benefits they earned. She is continuing to build upon this progress and ensure that these veterans get the benefits they earned.

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