WASHINGTON — Sens. Ted Budd, Thom Tillis and seven other lawmakers demanded answers Wednesday on why their constituents continue to die from Camp Lejeune’s toxic waters while the Department of Justice and the Navy refuses to settle their claims.
On Wednesday, the lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Attorney General Merrick Garland voicing concerns about delays in settling claims and lawsuits filed by veterans, military personnel and their families affected by toxic waters on the base in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
“It is imperative that the Navy Judge Advocate General and Department of Justice act expeditiously to ensure these individuals receive the justice they deserve without undue delay,” the lawmakers wrote.
Between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987, toxic chemicals seeped through the ground into two of eight water treatment plants on the Marine Corps base from underground fuel storage tanks, an off-base dry cleaning facility, industrial area spills and waste disposal sites. The chemicals included trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride and are known to cause miscarriages, birth defects, cancers and childhood leukemia.
Last August, Congress passed into law the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which allowed an estimated more than 1 million people exposed to the water to file a claim with the Navy. If the Navy didn’t respond within six months, the…
