PFAS Funding Stripped From House Bill
Representative Delgado Upset With Both Political Parties
Following House of Representatives negotiations on Friday, December 6 over the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), 19th District Representative Antonio Delgado released the following statement.
“The end result of negotiations around PFAS provisions in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is nothing short of disgraceful. Instead of arriving at a deal through a transparent and collaborative process that included meaningful input from conferees, leaders in both parties opted to hijack negotiations at the eleventh hour behind closed doors. This is shamefully undemocratic. The House passed a landmark bill that prioritized the cleanup and prevention of future PFAS contamination.
Despite this, the final agreement strips the bill of the most meaningful PFAS provisions and leaves countless Americans exposed to these toxic chemicals. The idea that this body would approach a matter of life and death for millions across this country as another political horse trade is abhorrent and precisely why Americans on both sides of the aisle are losing faith in the system.
The final NDAA authorizes critical defense programs and includes a number of other provisions that make our nation safer and more equitable, including a pay raise for our troops, additional supports for military families, and much-needed climate change protections, to name just a few. Unfortunately, we missed a huge opportunity to make similar progress for individuals in communities like Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh who are living with PFAS contamination. Moving forward, I urge leadership on both sides of the aisle to abandon the kind of back room negotiation tactics that landed us here. It is time to demand accountability and tangible enforcement provisions to keep our communities safe from these forever chemicals. I look forward to working with my colleagues to identify other legislative vehicles to advance strong PFAS measures right away.”