Texas Comptroller Don Huffines Launches Review of Fluoridation Costs and Health Impacts in Public Drinking Water

September 29, 2026

(AUSTIN) - Texas Comptroller Don Huffines is launching a review to expose and end the forced medicalization of Texans, starting with the fluoride added to Texas public drinking water. The review will examine what taxpayers and ratepayers spend, what the science says about health effects, and whether there are better ways to improve dental care.

"I campaigned to root out fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer money wherever I find it, and my job is to follow the money and ask hard questions," Huffines said. "When government puts something in the water that every Texan drinks, the people who pay for it and drink it deserve to know exactly what it costs, what it does, and whether there is a smarter way to get the same result."

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that is often added to public water systems. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, fluoridation costs about $0.64 per person per year. With roughly 9.7 million Texans served by the 105 public water systems that add fluoride, that comes to about $6.3 million annually.

"The horrors of the forced medicalization of Texans should be criminal, and it is certainly a waste of taxpayer money," Huffines said. "We should ask whether a mandatory, one-size-fits-all approach is the best way to promote dental health, or whether families would be better served by targeted, voluntary solutions. If someone wants fluoride in their diet, they have plenty of opportunities to get it.

"For the people who care about their health, this saves thousands of Texans from having to spend lots of money to filter fluoride out of their water to stop government from dumbing down their children."

Research has found that some Texas aquifers already contain naturally occurring fluoride above the level needed for optimal cavity prevention.

"If nature has already put enough fluoride in the water, why are we spending taxpayer and ratepayer dollars to add more?" Huffines asked.

The Comptroller's review will examine:

• How much is spent on water fluoridation statewide, including the state's share

• The health effects of fluoridated water

• Other state-supported public health mandates and programs that medicalize Texans without individual choice

• How other countries and states have responded to fluoridation and which have moved away from it

"This is about medical freedom, transparency, and accountability," Huffines said. "Texans are adults. I certainly trust millions of Texans to make their own medical decisions about what is best for them, their families, and their children over the government. They are entitled to the facts, the costs, and a voice in how their government spends their money and what it puts in their water. I have a moral obligation to do what I can. Making America Healthy Again starts with ending the forced medicalization of Texans."