Trump touts $1 billion paid to Camp Lejeune veterans, promises to settle the rest if Republicans win

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that if Republicans win the House and the Senate, he would direct the Department of Justice to settle the remaining claims relating to water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

"We're also fighting for our great veterans and taking care of those veterans who brought claims related to water contamination at Camp Lejeune," Trump said at a rally in Greenville for Republican Senate nominee Michael Wheatly. 

"It's been a big subject, actually. So, tonight, I'm pleased to announce that my administration has delivered $1 billion in cash settlements to these veterans and their families, most of whom are based here, in addition to $3.3 billion we've provided for the VA in less than two years. 

"And if we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible and get it off the books and get it finished. This has gone on for years.

He added that the money should go "to the families, not to the lawyers,” but warned that if Republicans don’t win, there wouldn’t be money to settle the remaining claims, before adding, "We will never abandon the heroes who served America."

Veterans who were present at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days at any point from Aug. 1,1953 to Dec. 31, 1987, are entitled to compensation payments if they have been diagnosed with certain kinds of cancer or Parkinson’s disease. 

For those decades, two of Camp Lejeune’s eight water supply systems were contaminated, with a third intermittently receiving contaminated water during shortages. As the DOJ announced in March, its Elective Option (EO) program is a way to avoid litigation and include payments of between $100,000 and $550,000 that are “available to qualified claimants regardless of whether they were present in a part of the base that received contaminated water.”