What Military Families Need to Know if there is a Government Shutdown

Once again, Congress has missed the deadline to pass a bill funding the government. Military families will soon be feeling the impact of Congress’ failure to act.

Too many military families already struggle to make ends meet. Now they have to worry about missing their paychecks.

The Coast Guard remembers what that’s like. During the last government shutdown in 2018-2019, the Department of Defense had funding, but the Department of Homeland Security did not. That meant that members of the Coast Guard went more than a month without being paid, all while reporting for duty as usual.

“It was death by a thousand cuts that was the hardest,” remembers one Coast Guard spouse. “Members still needed to go to work, so you still had to buy gas. Children still needed school lunches. Mortgages or rents needed to be paid….or deferred. There were the subscriptions that you may have forgotten to cancel that were debited out of your account when you didn’t have the funds, and the overdraft fees that were incurred if that happened. All the small things that are on autopilot need to be addressed. It was just a massive amount of work during the stress.”

But paychecks aren’t the only concern for military families right now. Many of the programs and resources they rely on to support them through the challenges of military life will be put on hold while the government is shut down. Child care, medical care, their kids’ after-school activities, and even safety net benefits like WIC will all be impacted.

While we hope Congress will act soon to fund the government, we have to be prepared. NMFA has been on the Hill and working with DoD to get as much solid information as we can. Here’s what we know:

Pay

Active-duty troops (and Guard and reservists on active-duty orders) are expected to show up for work during a shutdown. The October 1 paycheck will be paid as usual. If the shutdown lasts longer than two weeks, future paychecks may be delayed. Congress has always voted to provide back pay to federal employees following a government shutdown.

While Guardsmen and Reservists on active orders should also be protected, along with their active duty pay, families continue to worry about whether their orders will be canceled or delayed – again, affecting the families’ bottom line.

Civilian federal employees also face delays in pay while the government is shut down. Thousands of military spouses work in the federal government; for these families, the government shutdown poses a double whammy, putting both spouses’ paychecks at risk. In addition, the Administration has directed federal agencies to prepare for mass layoffs during the government shutdown, which could result in some military spouse federal employees losing their jobs permanently.

Safety Net Programs

WIC

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides vital nutrition assistance to thousands of low-income families – including many military families. States have not received any funding for the new fiscal year, which means that the program will soon run out of money.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly known as food stamps – will continue as normal for the month of October, but it could be affected afterward.

Child Care

Military families who rely on a CDC for child care may need to find other child care. Installations will make decisions, and some centers will remain open, while others may close.

Health Care

If you get your health care on base, there may be changes. Inpatient care, emergency outpatient care, and acute medical and dental care will continue; however, no protections have been made so far for routine medical care. If you get your medical care off-base using TRICARE, your care won’t be affected.

Mental Health Care

While we urge you to check for cancellations if you receive regular counseling support services, some exemptions do provide for continued mental health services.: Emergency counseling and crisis intervention intake screening and referral services will continue, as well as counseling and other support for victims of sexual assault and religious, suicide, or substance abuse counseling and services.

PCS and TDY

Movement of military personnel associated with permanent change of station will be limited as follows: 1) Moves TO an excepted activity will continue. 2) Moves FROM an excepted activity will continue only to the extent the commander of the excepted activity determines it essential to mission (e.g., overburden of local infrastructure), or required to enhance support of excepted activities. 3) Accession and training moves associated with recruitment and initial entry training will continue, along with subsequent movement to first station when required for an excepted activity. 4) Movement to comply with separation instructions will continue only if an obligation of funds was incurred prior to the lapse in appropriations; no costs may be incurred in excess of what was previously included in a Permanent Change of Station order.

Commissary

Military grocery stores shouldn’t be affected unless the shutdown approaches two months. Overseas commissaries should continue to operate, and any commissaries “determined to be in remote U.S. locations where no other sources of food are reasonably available for military personnel.”

Kids in DoDEA Schools

Classes will still be in session, but extracurriculars will be canceled.

What if you need financial help?

Contact your Service’s aid or relief society.

• Air Force Aid Society: https://afas.org/
• Army Emergency Relief: https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/
• Coast Guard Mutual Assistance: https://www.cgmahq.org/
• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society: https://www.nmcrs.org/

Military families, we will keep this list updated as new information becomes available.

But it’s time to act. 

Our families’ financial stability shouldn’t be on the line while the nation continues to ask us to serve. We should be able to count on our paychecks – and our health care, our child care, our mental health care, and our access to the tools and support services that keep our families strong.

Tell your elected officials to do better.