During the midterm campaign, President Donald Trump made a string of eye-popping promises to voters, all with the same catch – Republicans had to win.
Now that Democrats have swept both chambers of Congress, those promises are in limbo, and one of them involves veterans and families sickened by toxic water at a Marine Corps base, reported NBC News.
At a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, in the campaign’s closing days, Trump said he would direct the Justice Department to “settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible” for people harmed by contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, but he attached a condition.
“If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it, and it’s going to be finally over with that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years,” Trump said. “We will never abandon the heroes who served America.”
Asked why the election had anything to do with the claims, Trump gave a meandering answer.
“Well, because if we’re not there, then somebody else is going to have to settle it,” he said. “So if the Republicans don’t do well, I would say that maybe they won’t get their money.”
Service members stationed at the North Carolina base, along with their families, drank contaminated water from the early 1950s into the 1980s. Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act in 2022 to speed up compensation. Even so, claims have dragged on for years, and some victims have died while waiting.
Around 3,600 cases are pending in federal court, and hundreds of thousands of administrative claims are still under review by the Navy. The court cases are moving through the judicial process and are outside Congress’ control.
Camp Lejeune wasn’t the only promise Trump tied to GOP wins. His most frequent pitch was a $5,000 check for every adult citizen. The checks would cost an estimated $1.2 trillion, and Trump never explained how to pay for them. Even before the election, an NBC News Decision Desk Poll found only 14 percent of adults expected to get one.
In Kentucky, Trump said the Pentagon would invest $100 million in a pharmaceutical plant in Winchester “if the Republicans win.” The Pentagon’s own announcement that day described an $80 million loan with no election strings attached, and the company hasn’t settled on Winchester.
In Kansas, Trump said he’d only make year-round E15 fuel sales permanent if Republican Sen. Roger Marshall won. “If Adam Hamilton is in, I’m not doing it,” Trump said. Hamilton won, becoming the state’s first Democratic senator in 94 years.
The White House didn’t address the specific promises. A spokesman said Trump “will work with anyone willing to advance solutions that strengthen our economy.”