Fitzpatrick Delivers Historic PFAS Accountability Win as FY26 Defense Bill Passes the House

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Co-Chair of the Congressional PFAS Task Force, announced that his bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3761, has been secured in the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which has now passed the House. This historic provision establishes the first-ever high-level Coordinator at the Department of Defense dedicated to PFAS-impacted defense communities- marking the most significant federal action yet to confront toxic "forever chemicals," accelerate cleanup at military sites, and enforce accountability at the highest levels of the Pentagon.

The Fitzpatrick-authored measure creates a dedicated, senior-ranking official at the Department of Defense charged with engaging directly with PFAS-impacted communities, streamlining communication with local stakeholders, and driving transparent, urgent remediation efforts across the country.

"By securing this provision in the NDAA, we are delivering the strongest federal reform yet for PFAS-impacted defense communities," said Fitzpatrick. "Confronting the PFAS crisis has been a top priority of mine since coming to Congress. From establishing and leading the Congressional PFAS Task Force to securing historic clean-up funding and stricter oversight, I've worked tirelessly to give our communities a voice and demand real accountability from the Department of Defense. This measure is the latest-and one of the most consequential-steps in that mission. Impacted families will finally have a direct advocate at the highest levels of the Pentagon and a government that moves with urgency, not delay."

Background

Congressman Fitzpatrick has led the national effort to confront PFAS contamination since arriving in Congress, making Pennsylvania's First District the epicenter of bipartisan action on this public health crisis. As Co-Chair and founder of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, he has:

• Secured historic funding for PFAS cleanup and water infrastructure upgrades nationwide, including transformative projects in Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
• Led landmark bipartisan legislation to increase transparency and oversight at the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, hold polluters accountable, establish the first-ever national primary drinking water regulation, expedite the cleanup of contaminated military sites, fund municipal water treatment upgrades that remove PFAS at the source, and more.
• Mobilized a coalition of community leaders, scientists, veterans, and advocates to ensure impacted families have a seat at the table and a direct voice in federal policymaking.

This newly created Coordinator role at the Department of Defense builds directly on that record-establishing, for the first time, a single point of accountability inside the Pentagon to oversee engagement, accelerate remediation, and deliver answers for communities harmed by decades of PFAS contamination.

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