Trump Says Camp Lejeune Payouts Have Reached $1 Billion and Orders DOJ to Settle the Remaining Claims
DOJ says claimants have received more than $919.7 million since January 2025, versus $59.6 million in the three years before. The lead lawyer for victims calls the shift 'very positive' but says about 300,000 claims will eventually be paid.
President Trump used a North Carolina rally on Tuesday night to say his administration has paid out about $1 billion to people harmed by contaminated water at Marine Corps Camp Lejeune.
"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, according to Fox News. "We don't want to give any to the trial lawyers, we want it all to go to the families."
The numbers behind it. Fox reports that, per the Department of Justice, claimants have received more than $919.7 million since Trump began his second term in January 2025. About 3,300 people have been paid under the 2022 law that lets people sickened by the base's water sue for relief. From 2022 to the start of 2025, DOJ says only 459 settlements were paid, totaling $59.6 million. Payments run from $100,000 to $550,000, depending on the illness.
The background. Between 1953 and 1987, three of the base's eight water systems were contaminated. The Justice Department and the Navy opened an "Elective Option" settlement program in 2023 as a faster alternative to going to court. The administration said in March that it would make settlements a priority and speed up payouts.
The view from the lawyer. Ed Bell, the South Carolina attorney who pushed for the law and is lead counsel in the litigation, told Fox that many claimants have waited a long time and are relieved. "A lot of them feel like the government has finally said, 'we're sorry,'" he said. He credited Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and said he is "very bullish" on what DOJ is doing. Bell also gave a reminder of the work left: he estimates about 300,000 claims will eventually be paid, and he says each case involves "hundreds and hundreds of details." Settlements are based on how severe the illness is, so a stage one cancer pays less than stage four.
What to keep in view. The $1 billion figure is Trump's rally claim. The DOJ number Fox cites is $919.7 million, which is close but not the same. We have not seen the underlying DOJ data. The order to settle "all remaining legitimate claims" is a stated direction, with no deadline in the report.