Water contamination bill defeated

Last week, Senate Veterans Affairs committee Chairman Daniel Akaka submitted an alternative bill that would provide five years of healthcare through the Department of Defense, which passed at Thursday’s committee hearing. Staff with Akaka’s office said that since the DoD created the problems of toxic exposure, it should be tasked with paying for the consequences.A bill authored by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC, that would provide healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans and family members affected by historic water contamination at Camp Lejeune was defeated in committee on Thursday in a 9-5 vote.

But Jacksonville resident and former Marine master sergeant Jerry Ensminger strongly opposes the alternative bill, believing it gives too much power to the DoD, which has not been forthcoming with answers or assistance for those affected by the contaminated water. He also believe it violates Title 42 of federal law, which tasks only one agency — the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry — with determining health effects for superfund sites such as Lejeune.

Ensminger encouraged others to voice their opposition and said veterans and their families sent more than 400 e-mails to members of the Veterans Affairs committee protesting the change.

“They’re playing political games with the lives and the welfare of people who served this country and their family members as well,” Ensminger said. “This is just unconscionable.”

During the hearing, Burr voiced similar consternation.

“It is unacceptable to put these veterans and their families into the hands of the Department of Defense for their healthcare,” Burr said. “There is no precedent for DoD to care for these people, yet members voted today for an imaginary TRICARE program that DoD will never recognize.”

Staff from Burr’s office said the senator would continue to actively pursue avenues to get veterans and their families healthcare through the VA.

“(Burr) is going to use every opportunity possible to bring this issue up,” a spokesman for Burr’s office, David Ward, said. “We are going to fight tooth and nail.”

Next week, a bill that parallels the one killed in committee today will be introduced in the House. The bill will be called the Janey Ensminger bill, after Ensminger’s daughter who died at age 9 from Leukemia that he believes was caused by exposure to toxic water on base.

Burr also announced, Ward said, that he would withhold all civilian nominations to the Department of the Navy until the secretary of the Navy agreed to fully fund prescribed ATSDR studies and modeling related to the contaminated water.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Hope Hodge at 910-219-8453 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .