Republicans try to gut protections against US military’s PFAS pollution

By Tom Perkins | The Guardian | September 19, 2025

Read the full article by Tom Perkins (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 probably 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."

Location:

• North AmericaUS

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• ChemicalsPolymer
• ProductsFirefighting foam
• SourcesFire departments
• Affected community
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses