As per National Security Spokesman John Kirby, American service members, including reservists on active duty, will face unpaid periods in the event of an impending government shutdown. Nevertheless, American military support and financial assistance to Ukraine will persist without interruption.
House Republicans are striving to enact measures that would extend coverage to encompass all troops and civilian contractors stationed at military bases responsible for operating commissaries and post exchanges.
Service members will remain on active duty despite not receiving pay during a shutdown. Meanwhile, a significant number of the Department of Defense civilian workforce, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, are expected to face furloughs.
In a distinct development, the Department of Defense has announced that services at posts and bases will experience closures or restrictions, while elective medical and dental procedures in its facilities will be postponed. Commissaries will continue to operate overseas but will cease operations within the United States.
Additionally, specific Pentagon functions, such as operational planning and military recruitment, will be temporarily halted.
In the event that legislators do not achieve a consensus, leading to a government appropriations gap, the Department of Defense (DOD) has opted to maintain its efforts in support of Ukraine, according to DOD spokesperson Chris Sherwood.
This decision comes shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark Milley and other high-ranking officials at the Pentagon.
The decision implies that the U.S. military’s involvement in activities related to the conflict, including the training of Ukrainian soldiers in American tactics and equipment and the delivery of weaponry to Kyiv, will persist despite the possibility of a government shutdown.
In reaction to this, House Republicans introduced a set of measures to ensure timely payment for our troops and essential services.
As we keep working to fund the govt by Sept 30, I introduced the Pay Our Troops Act to ensure our military men and women don’t miss a paycheck in case of a govt shutdown. Our troops shouldn’t suffer due to DC dysfunction. My bill provides the financial certainty they deserve. pic.twitter.com/i64uH8Nlfy
— Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (@RepJenKiggans) September 22, 2023
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA), a Navy veteran who is spearheading the initiative, said in an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, “We’ve included provisions not only for active-duty personnel but also for Department of Defense civilians and contractors, as well as the Coast Guard, to ensure they receive their paychecks regardless of the circumstances.”
She went on to say, “Obviously, we want to not shut the government down, and that is something that we are still working hard late into the night to get done. But God forbid that doesn’t happen; we need to have that reassurance for people, a group of people that I care very passionately about and that the country needs to be prioritizing, and that’s our military.”
