For decades, one corporation contaminated the drinking water of over 500,000 North Carolinians. 

Today, that corporation is helping fund Michael Whatley’s U.S. Senate campaign.

Chemours, formerly DuPont, poisoned North Carolina for years. They dumped forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, into the Cape Fear River. They emitted it through smoke stacks. They let it seep into the groundwater. They allowed it to spread from Fayetteville to Wilmington. And ultimately, they let it build up in the bodies of North Carolinians, raising their risk of cancer, increasing the likelihood of fertility issues, and weakening people’s immune systems. 

“I know the chemicals affected more than just my property,” said one Cumberland County resident, whose home value has also taken a hit from the contamination. “I know what’s in my body, and the bodies of my wife, dog and son.”

Chemours screwed North Carolinians. And they, in partnership with the Trump administration and its allies, are continuing to screw North Carolinians today. 

Trump’s EPA is set to roll back some PFAS rules that Chemours has always wanted eliminated. This was a big win for Chemours, whose position was that the drinking water protections were not backed by science. 

Just one month before the EPA rolled back those PFAS regulations, Administrator Lee Zeldin appointed two Chemours officials to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, which is responsible for providing “Gold Standard scientific advice” to the agency. Those two Chemours officials were also involved in the Fayetteville Works project that poisoned North Carolina. 

And if that weren’t enough salt in the wound, Chemours and Trump’s Department of Justice announced a settlement in one PFAS contamination lawsuit that would see the company pay far less than what North Carolinians are owed. 

Attorney General Jeff Jackson said that the settlement does not require Chemours to spend any money on cleaning up North Carolina. Even if Chemours split the money evenly between the three states named in the settlement, North Carolina would only receive $2 million annually to address water pollution. By comparison, the agreement includes up to $280 million to provide clean drinking water around Chemours plants in New Jersey and West Virginia. 

Chemours is starting to rack up some political wins, and it’s no surprise why. Chemours formed its corporate PAC in 2018, a year after its polluting practices became public knowledge. 

In North Carolina, Chemours has largely supported Republican members of the state legislature. For example, Chemours has donated to anti-regulatory Republicans such as Rep. Jimmy Dixon and Sen. Brent Jackson, both of whom represent areas in Eastern NC impacted by the PFAS contamination. 

And now, they’ve sunk their teeth into Michael Whatley, who seems intent on selling out Eastern NC just like he sold out Western NC. Whatley was appointed by Trump to the FEMA Review Council and was named Hurricane Helene Recovery Czar. Whatley was nowhere to be found, never showing up when the region saw historic delays in recovery funding. Then, when it came time to recommend a path forward, Whatley signed on to policies that would enrich his stock portfolio at the expense of North Carolinians. 

Like many of Trump’s friends, Michael Whatley sees dollar signs in public service. He’s never seen a corporation he didn’t like, a backroom deal that he wouldn’t sign on to, a crisis he couldn’t capitalize on, a community he wouldn’t sell out. 

It definitely doesn’t have to be this way, and it hasn’t always been this way. Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Governor Josh Stein are pushing back against the Chemours settlement, calling for fair compensation for those impacted and protections for those who could be impacted in the future. 

And back in 2017, when the water contamination first became known, you know who was the first person to hold Chemours accountable? Gov. Roy Cooper, Whatley’s opponent in the Senate race. There’s still good leaders out there, ready to stand up to corporations in defense of everyday people.

Let’s send a message to the grifters and the polluters, the corporations and the billionaires: North Carolina is done with being sold out.