Military Families Deserve Clean Water Not Broken Promises
Final signature count: 579
579 signatures toward our 30,000 goal
Sponsor: The Veterans Site
Service members and their families are still drinking and living with toxic PFAS—chemicals that cause cancer and disease.
Across the United States, military families and veterans are living with a threat that cannot be seen or smelled—but it is in their water, their soil, and their blood. The source is PFAS, a group of synthetic “forever chemicals” once used in firefighting foams at U.S. military bases. For decades, these chemicals soaked into the ground during training and emergency drills. They do not break down naturally, and now they are spreading through groundwater systems that supply entire communities1.
The Department of Defense has acknowledged PFAS contamination at more than 700 active and former installations. Yet cleanup efforts are stalled. Earlier this year, the Pentagon quietly delayed its remediation timelines by up to a decade for nearly 140 bases, with some sites now pushed as far as 20392. For residents near these bases, that means years more of exposure, worry, and illness. Service members who once trained to protect their country now face the lasting consequences of toxic exposure on their own soil.
The Health Toll of Forever Chemicals
PFAS exposure has been linked to kidney and testicular cancers, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, immune dysfunction, and developmental harm in children3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected PFAS in the blood of most Americans—but concentrations are often highest in military and surrounding communities where firefighting foams were heavily used. In some areas, testing has revealed blood levels many times higher than national averages.
For veterans, this is more than a statistic. Many have faced unexplained illnesses, fertility issues, or chronic thyroid conditions after serving on contaminated bases. Some have learned of the risks only years after exposure. While lawsuits and studies mount, the chemicals remain in the ground, migrating through aquifers that supply civilian homes and on-base housing alike.
Funding Gaps and Delayed Action
Despite the known danger, federal cleanup funding has fallen far behind actual need. The Department of Defense estimates PFAS cleanup costs may exceed $31 billion, yet annual budget requests cover only a fraction of that amount4. In some years, the Pentagon has asked for less than it did a decade ago, even as new contamination sites have been discovered. These delays and funding shortfalls leave families drinking bottled water, communities in limbo, and veterans without clear answers5.
Five Years to Protect the Future
Waiting decades for cleanup is not an option. Every year lost means more exposure, more disease, and more broken trust. The Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency must work together now to fully clean up PFAS contamination at all military sites within five years. This is a matter of health, honor, and national responsibility. Service members and their families protected this nation—it’s time the nation protects them in return.
Sign the petition calling on the Secretary of Defense and the EPA Administrator to complete PFAS cleanup on all U.S. military bases within five years.
