The legislation passed by House Democrats and rejected by the vast majority of House Republicans will protect millions of Americans from harmful chemicals in their water
Today’s House passage of the PFAS Action Act marks a milestone in Democrats’ efforts to improve national drinking water standards and protect Americans, military bases, and the environment from harmful forever chemicals known as PFAS.
The legislation, which Gonzales and Van Duyne voted against, will:
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Accelerate the cleanup process at military facilities across the country — including at least 20 in Texas — with known or suspected PFAS contamination,
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Ensure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes a national drinking water standard for certain forever chemicals within two years that better protects public health, including the health of vulnerable subpopulations,
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Ensure the EPA places discharge limits on industrial releases of PFAS and provide $200 million annually for wastewater treatment, and
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Ensure comprehensive PFAS health testing.
“Tony Gonzales and Beth Van Duyne have once again left Texans behind in their desperate scramble to bend over backward for corporate interests,” said DCCC spokesperson Monica Robinson. “Texans, including the service members on military bases across the state that have been dealing with toxic drinking water as a result of these ‘forever chemicals’, deserve better. Thanks to House Democrats, millions of Texans subjected to contaminated drinking water will now be better protected. Tony Gonzales and Beth Van Duyne should be held to account for choosing partisanship over public health.”
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