The federal government has paid out more than $919 million to veterans and family members sickened by contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, settling roughly 3,300 claims since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, according to Fox News.
That pace dwarfs what happened under the prior administration. Between passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act in 2022 and the start of Trump’s second term, only 459 settlements were paid, totaling $59.6 million.
Trump announced the figures at a campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, on Tuesday night.
“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.”
The claims stem from contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987. Industrial solvents, fuel leaks, and other chemicals seeped into the groundwater supplying the base, exposing Marines, their families, and civilian workers to substances linked to cancer and other serious illnesses.
Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act in 2022, a bipartisan law establishing the right to compensation. The Justice Department has been settling claims under that law, and this year it markedly sped up the rate of approvals and payouts.
For veterans and families who watched years of television ads from attorneys soliciting clients while waiting for answers, the numbers released this week mark a tangible break from a long backlog.
