Republicans try to gut protections against US military's Pfas pollution

Source: The Guardian

Republicans in Congress are attempting to gut hard-won health protections for service members against the US military’s toxic PFAS “forever chemical” pollution that has poisoned drinking water and likely sickened people around hundreds of bases.

The repeals are included in the US House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). If approved as proposed, the legislation would indefinitely delay a ban on PFAS-laden firefighting foam set to go into effect next year, slash cleanup funding by $200m, lift a moratorium on incinerating firefighting foam and repeal a military ban on buying everyday goods that contain the chemicals.

The moves come after Congress passed a range of new PFAS protections in defense bills across each of the last five years. The repeals were discussed in Congress in July during closed-door markup, and several amendments were reportedly approved in the Senate armed services committee by a 14-13 vote along party lines.

“If this administration’s goal is to ‘make America healthy again’ then they should want to preserve and expand toxic chemical bans and restrictions, not try to repeal them behind closed doors,” said Jessica Hernandez, chemical policy director with the Environmental Working Group non-profit, which is lobbying on the defense bill.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/19/pfas-pollution-military-republicans