GOP threatens government shutdown. It will hurt military families like mine. | Opinion
From delayed paychecks to suspended services, the uncertainty of a government shutdown compounds the unique challenges that service members and their families face.
Another Christmas, another potential government shutdown.
Congress faces a Friday deadline − only five days before Christmas − to pass a continuing resolution that would keep federal offices open and relieve the stress and uncertainty that military families like mine endure every time political leaders play partisan games with the budget.
The threat of a shutdown leaves service members and their families at increased risk of financial insecurity and weakens military readiness as pay, benefits, health care and other critical support systems are placed in jeopardy.
In September, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other Republican House members used the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act to hold the federal budget hostage.
A compromise was eventually reached, averting a shutdown that would have affected much of the federal government on Oct. 1.
But now, only three months later, another possible shutdown looms as Democrats and Republicans argue over not only another short-term spending agreement but also a one-year extension of the farm bill and additional funding for disaster relief.
Military families suffer as paychecks are delayed
When a government shutdown occurs, military families are hurt in a variety of ways that add even more stress to an already challenging way of life. Gold Star families, who lost a family member in war, suffer an interruption in death benefits. Paychecks for active-duty service members are delayed. And important health care procedures are delayed as well.
In January 2019, I remember packing a trailer full of food, diapers, hygiene items and gift cards to donate to Coast Guard families in upstate New York who were suffering from lost wages due to a government shutdown.
The shutdown began a few days before Christmas in 2018 and dragged on for weeks. It was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history ‒ 35 days.
Paychecks owed to more than 40,000 Coast Guard members were suspended. Families used their savings and emergency funds to stay afloat, and those without a financial safety net fell into despair.
Military personnel must work without a paycheck
Lapses in government funding have far-reaching effects that linger well after a shutdown ends. Military service members must continue working during a government shutdown even though they are not paid.
Can you imagine not being paid but still being required to show up, ready to work, with no guarantee of when you’ll receive compensation?
The toll on service members compounds challenges with readiness and retention in the Department of Defense. In the 2018-19 shutdown, about 1.3 million active-duty personnel faced delayed payments.
“Many military families live paycheck-to-paycheck and rely solely on the service member's income," Monique Street, relationship manager with AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust, told me. "Delayed income can result in late fees, added interest and other financial complications that may have a ripple effect on their finances. Military families rely on a steady, predictable income, and with many working to recover from a summer (transfer), financial pressures can already be high."
Shutdowns often lead to the suspension of nonessential services that military families rely on. Commissaries, health clinics, child care facilities and other support services on military bases may close or limit operations.
During the 2013 shutdown, military commissaries across the United States were forced to close temporarily, causing a financial strain for families who relied on the commissary for affordable groceries.
From delayed paychecks to suspended services, the uncertainty compounds the unique challenges that service members and their families face.
As members of Congress once again debate a spending agreement, military families are left vulnerable while their financial well-being is used as a gambit in negotiations on Capitol Hill. And this time it's happening while we try to provide our families with a happy Christmas.
Please remember that the costs of a government shutdown extend well beyond politics, affecting people who already are making tremendous sacrifices for our nation and our national security.
Marla Bautista is a military fellow columnist at Paste BN Opinion.