Statement by Congressman Kildee and Congresswoman Dean on NDAA White House Veto Threat Due to PFAS Legislation

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) issued the following joint statement after the Trump Administration issued a veto threat for the House's National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 (NDAA), citing a provision that phases out dangerous firefighting foam that contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Congressman Kildee and Congresswoman Dean have introduced an amendment to the NDAA that would phase out PFAS in firefighting foam by 2025:

"With this veto threat, President Trump has said he would hold up funding for our troops because his administration does not want to act swiftly to eliminate toxic PFAS chemicals to protect service members and the communities that support them. Communities in Michigan, Pennsylvania and across the country are struggling right now because PFAS firefighting foam from military bases has contaminated their neighborhoods and drinking water supply. The Administration must put the health and safety of families and service members first—instead of special corporate interests.

"Vetoing this bill would not only hurt service members and families affected by PFAS contamination, but would delay funding for our military, jeopardizing our national security. We will continue to fight to clean up toxic PFAS chemicals and take care of service members and veterans."