President Trump told a rally audience in North Carolina that a Republican victory in the upcoming midterm elections would clear the way for the Justice Department to rapidly resolve all outstanding claims stemming from the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base where thousands of lawsuits remain pending.
Speaking Tuesday night in Greenville, Trump framed the settlements as contingent on GOP control of Congress. “If we don’t win, there’s no money,” he said. “If we do win, you’re getting it. It’s going to be finally over with, that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years. We will never abandon the heroes who served America.”
The base’s water supply was contaminated from 1953 to 1987 with trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent linked to cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Military officials did not detect the contamination until 1982, after nearly three decades of exposure. The 2022 PACT Act opened the door for veterans and families to seek VA benefits or sue the government over related illnesses.
Dozens of civil lawsuits are now moving through the courts, with the first trial scheduled to begin next week. To sidestep litigation, the Justice Department and Navy launched an elective settlement program in 2023, aiming to provide faster payouts to qualifying claimants. The program, which covers more than 400,000 unsettled claims, has drawn criticism from some who say offers have been unfairly low or denied outright.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer, a Trump ally, on Monday accused Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward of “sending these veterans insulting lowball offers designed to insult and belittle their suffering.” She warned on X that Democrats would “weaponize this against President Trump and try to hurt him with veterans heading into the midterms in two weeks.”
Trump claimed his administration has already delivered $1 billion in cash settlements to affected veterans and families. He added that if Republicans “win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible.”
He also took a swipe at trial lawyers, saying, “We don’t want to give any to the trial lawyers. We’ve given a lot of money to – no trial lawyers, if you don’t mind — we want it to go to the families, not to the lawyers.”
The remarks come as the midterm landscape shows Democrats widening their lead in generic ballot polling, and with childcare costs emerging as a key issue in battleground districts. Trump’s direct linkage of veterans’ compensation to election outcomes is likely to intensify scrutiny of his administration’s handling of the Camp Lejeune crisis.
Political analysts note that the timing of the settlement program’s problems could become a liability for Republicans, especially in races where veterans hold significant sway. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment on the status of the settlement program.
