WASHINGTON— On Thursday, December 18, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included two bills authored by Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08). These are her first two bills to be signed into law. The bills support local economies, jobs and public safety throughout the Great Lakes, and accelerate the cleanup of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at and surrounding military sites across the country.
The NDAA also includes a provision authored by Congresswoman McDonald Rivet requiring the U.S. Coast Guard to study the impact of reduced search-and-rescue operations at Coast Guard Station Saginaw River and other stations following the elimination of 24/7 operations last year.
“I made a promise to my constituents that I’d work to pass common-sense policy to make our communities stronger. We’ve brought Republicans and Democrats together around two important solutions for mid-Michigan,” said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. “These bills will protect the Great Lakes, as well as the economy and jobs that rely on it, and clean up forever chemical pollution on and around military bases.”
Congresswoman McDonald Rivet’s legislation included in the NDAA is as follows:
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The Great Lakes Icebreaker Act of 2025 instructs the Coast Guard to develop a plan to design and build a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes and analyze the effectiveness of the current icebreaking fleet.
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The Military PFAS Transparency Act requires the U.S. Department of Defense to commit to more efficient cleanup strategies for PFAS and to create a public dashboard to display updated cleanup data, funding, timelines, and community points of contact.
In addition to her efforts to pass these pieces of legislation, Congresswoman McDonald Rivet is a member of the bipartisan Great Lakes Task Force and a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force.
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