Fetterman, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration to Stop Stalling Toxic Chemical Cleanups, Protect Military Families and Nearby Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Yesterday, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) joined 27 Senate Democratic colleagues in demanding the Trump administration reverse itsdecision to delay the cleanupof toxic chemicals at military installations across the country and take action to protect military families and nearby communities by addressing contamination at the affected sites.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the senators called on the Trump administration to immediately restore the previous timetable for remediating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination at U.S. military bases and to reverse plans that would further delay long-overdue cleanups.
“For years, communities contaminated by PFAS from nearby DOD installations in our states have waited for the DOD to take action. We request that the Department reverse its decision, return to the previous timetable released in December 2024, and accelerate efforts to remediate confirmed PFAS contamination,”the senators wrote.
At least700 military sitesin the United States are known or suspected to have PFAS contamination from Department of Defense (DOD) activities. DOD’s delayed timetable would postpone cleanup efforts at approximately 150 of them, in some cases for nearly a decade. Specifically, DOD pushed back the time frame of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) phase for these bases, which involves collecting detailed information on the nature and extent of the PFAS contamination and conducting a study to evaluate potential options for cleanup.
PFAS chemicals are widespread contaminants found in many industrial applications and especially around U.S. military installations. PFAS exposure is linked to an array of health problems, including various cancers, reduced immune function, reproductive challenges, birth defects, thyroid issues, and more. The use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at DOD facilities, and the subsequent stormwater runoff, is a significant source of drinking water pollution. This contamination poses serious health risks to service members and their families, as well as surrounding communities.
Senator Fetterman was joined on the letter by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
The full text of the senators’ letter to Secretary Hegseth can be foundhere.
A full list of military installations affected by the delays can be foundhere.
A list of the military installations in Pennsylvania affected by the delays can be found below: