Gluesenkamp Perez, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Bill Prohibiting Agencies from Purchasing Products with Harmful PFAS Chemicals

Yesterday, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), along with Reps. Mike Lawler (NY-17), Bill Posey (FL-08), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Katie Porter (CA-47), and Haley Stevens (MI-11), introduced the bipartisan PFAS-Free Procurement Act.

The legislation will prohibit federal agencies from the procurement of items such as cookware, furniture, and carpeting containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and prioritize the procurement of products not containing PFAS. 

PFAS can contaminate water, air, soil, and food products, and studies indicate PFAS may affect developmental, immune, and reproductive health. Some microplastics may include PFAS, and Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has also introduced bipartisan legislation to study the impact of microplastics on biosolids used for farming.

“PFAS chemicals, even in small amounts, can have harmful impacts on our health and the development of our kids,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “It’s critical that we work to get these forever chemicals out of our communities’ water and soil and that we aren’t putting more into our environment. Our government has an opportunity to lead by example, so I’m introducing this bipartisan legislation to ensure our significant federal purchasing power isn’t used on products containing PFAS.”

Full text of the legislation is available here.

“The PFAS-Free Procurement Act will go a long way to protecting our communities from PFAS chemicals by significantly curtailing the federal use of products containing such chemicals,” said Rep. Lawler. “Protecting the health and safety of our citizens is a fundamental duty of governance. I appreciate my colleagues from both parties who have joined me on this important, common sense bill.” 

“I have been working tirelessly to protect our Lagoon and Fl-08 families against these forever chemicals. The next step is to prevent further PFAS contamination and stop federal agencies from poisoning our communities,” said Rep. Posey. “I am proud to work with Congressman Lawler and others to stop federal PFAS contamination once and for all.”

“Items that contain harmful ‘forever chemicals’ have no place in federal offices or facilities,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, I am proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing the PFAS-Free Procurement Act. Congress must continue to work to reduce the federal purchase and use of products containing these substances.”

“PFAS and other toxic forever chemicals continue to pose health risks to communities in New Hampshire and across the country. We must take comprehensive and commonsense action to better protect the health and wellbeing of Americans,” said Rep. Pappas. “This bipartisan legislation would require federal agencies to prioritize procuring PFAS-free products to protect federal employees and individuals, including veterans and seniors, that visit federal facilities. The federal government should be a leader in addressing PFAS contamination, and I’m pleased to join this bipartisan legislation that is an important step forward.”

“All Americans deserve to live long, healthy lives free from dangerous health problems caused by toxic chemicals,” said Rep. Porter. “This bipartisan proposal would expand protections for people visiting federal facilities and limit the use of taxpayer dollars to purchase PFAS-contaminated products. As a member of the Congressional PFAS Task Force, I’ll keep working tirelessly with my colleagues to eliminate the use of toxic forever chemicals.”

“The United State Government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, ensuring our procurement policies align with our goals of eliminating forever chemicals,” said Rep. Stevens.“The bipartisan, bicameral PFAS-free Procurement Act does just that, by extending the Department of Defense’s sensible prohibition on the procurement of PFAS products to most federal government acquisitions we’re making a bold step toward eliminating these harmful, forever chemicals from our lives.”