GREENVILLE, N.C. — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that his administration has paid out more than $919.7 million in settlements to American veterans, their families, and civilian employees who were exposed to toxic drinking water at Marine Corps Camp Lejeune, vowing to accelerate the remaining claims that have languished for decades.
Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, Trump touted the milestone — reached less than two years into his second term — and told the crowd the Department of Justice would move quickly to resolve the hundreds of thousands of unresolved claims filed under a 2022 law.
"Tonight I'm pleased to announce my administration has delivered $1 billion in cash settlements to these veterans and their families, in addition to 3.1 billion for the VA and ordering the DOJ to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible," Trump said. "We don't want to give any to the trial lawyers, we want it all to go to the families."
According to the Department of Justice, claimants have received more than $919.7 million since Trump began his second term in January 2025. The administration has paid out roughly 3,300 people who filed claims under the 2022 Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. By comparison, from the law's passage in 2022 through the beginning of 2025, only 459 settlements had been paid, totaling $59.6 million.
Payments under the program range from $100,000 to $550,000, depending on the severity of the illness. Three of the base's eight water systems were contaminated between 1953 and 1987, with exposure linked to cancer and other serious illnesses among those who lived and worked at the installation.
Trump made clear the federal government — which reportedly knew about the contamination while continuing to serve the water — has a moral obligation to those who were harmed. He tied the completion of the remaining payouts directly to Republican victories in the upcoming midterm elections.
"If we don't win, there's no money," Trump said. "If we do win, you're getting it. It's gonna 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 president's remarks were quickly amplified on social media, with accounts like @silentpolitics1 posting a clip of the rally and noting that Trump "touts $1 billion Camp Lejeune payouts" while "ties remaining veteran settlements to a GOP midterm win."
Ed Bell, a South Carolina-based attorney who spent half of his 44-year career fighting for Camp Lejeune victims and serves as lead counsel on the case, acknowledged the payout process is "laborious," with settlements determined by the severity of claimants' present and future medical conditions. Bell also noted the base's water systems contained contaminated water for more than three decades.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is named in part for Heath Robinson, an Ohio Army National Guard combat medic who developed a rare autoimmune disease and lung cancer from toxic burn pit exposure. Robinson is credited as a main reason the law was passed. He died in 2020 at age 39, leaving behind a wife and young daughter.
The Trump administration in March announced it was making settlements a priority and made a concerted effort to accelerate the pace of payouts. The nearly $1 billion delivered stands in sharp contrast to the trickle of settlements under the previous administration — a difference Trump made sure the crowd in Greenville understood.
Our Take
Let's be clear about what's happening here: Donald Trump is doing what the federal government should have done decades ago. Veterans who served this country at Camp Lejeune were poisoned by the very water they drank on base — and for years, the bureaucracy dragged its feet while families got sick and buried their loved ones. Under Biden, only 459 claims were paid out. Under Trump, nearly 3,300 have been settled, and almost $1 billion has flowed to those who were wronged.
But notice the caveat Trump himself delivered: if Republicans lose the midterms, the money stops. That's not a threat — it's a reality check. The radical Left has no interest in cutting checks to veterans when it's busy funneling taxpayer dollars to foreign wars and Green New Deal fantasies. The only way to ensure every legitimate Camp Lejeune claim is resolved is to keep the America First movement in power.
If you're a veteran, a family member, or a civilian employee still waiting for justice, call your representative and demand they support the Trump administration's push to finish these settlements now. The heroes who served at Camp Lejeune deserve better than another round of empty promises from Washington — and President Trump is proving he's the one who actually keeps his.
