By Jason Stverak
In less than one week, on Oct. 15, roughly 1.3 million active-duty U.S. troops are slated to miss their scheduled mid-month paycheck if the current government shutdown continues. These men and women will continue standing guard and performing their duties – without pay – while their families back home scramble to afford rent and groceries. This situation is gravely untenable for those who volunteer to risk their lives for our country. Paying our military should never be a political football – it’s not Republican or Democrat, it’s American.
I write today as Jason Stverak, Chief Advocacy Officer of the Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC), which represents over 200 defense-focused credit unions serving more than 40 million members nationwide. DCUC’s mission is rooted in one fundamental principle: those who defend our nation deserve financial certainty and should not be used as bargaining chips in a budget standoff. Right now, that principle is being violated. I urge every member of Congress – with utmost urgency – to ensure our servicemembers receive uninterrupted pay. The brave Americans in uniform (and their families) have enough to worry about in service to our country; making ends meet at home shouldn’t be one of them.
The Human Cost Of Missed Paychecks
What does a missed paycheck actually mean for a military family? For many, losing even one pay period can immediately put them behind on the basics – missing a rent or mortgage payment, falling behind on credit card and loan bills, and racking up late fees. Many military households live paycheck-to-paycheck, so a lapse in pay forces them to struggle to afford essentials like groceries, housing, and utilities. These missed payments can quickly damage a family’s credit score and financial stability, with effects that linger long after pay resumes. In short, a funding lapse on Capitol Hill translates into real hardship at the kitchen tables of those who serve.
Beyond dollars and cents, consider the toll on morale and military readiness. We are asking dedicated personnel to continue serving – even deploying into harm’s way – without knowing when their next paycheck will come. The stress on troops and their loved ones is enormous. Training exercises and drills are already being disrupted or canceled due to the budget impasse (for example, many National Guard units may have to cancel critical weekend training). This degradation in training directly harms readiness, and the distraction of financial worry undermines focus and unit preparedness for those still on duty. It’s hard to maintain high morale when you’re pulling a 12-hour shift while wondering whether your kids back home can afford dinner.
For military families, being pushed to the brink by missed pay isn’t just stressful – it’s deeply unjust. In previous standoffs, charitable organizations and military relief societies have stepped up to provide food assistance, and defense credit unions (including many DCUC member institutions) have offered zero-interest loans and paycheck advances to help cover missing paychecks. These efforts are commendable lifelines – but they are only temporary fixes. No military family should ever be forced to depend on a food pantry or emergency loan to put food on the table because of political gridlock.
No private charity or bank can substitute for what is ultimately a core government obligation. DCUC’s member credit unions have repeatedly gone to extraordinary lengths to help servicemembers weather funding gaps – but stopgaps like these should not be the norm. Volunteer support networks are no substitute for an ironclad guarantee from Congress that military pay will never be delayed due to political gridlock. Ultimately, it is Congress’s responsibility to ensure our troops’ financial security, just as our troops ensure our national security. Our men and women in uniform have kept their promise to serve; Washington must keep its promise to pay.
The Coast Guard’s Unfair Disadvantage
I want to call attention to one group of servicemembers who have been especially ill-treated in past shutdowns: the United States Coast Guard. Unlike the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Space Force – which are funded through the Department of Defense – the Coast Guard is funded through the Department of Homeland Security, a distinction that has caused an unjust gap during shutdowns. When other military branches secured funding in emergencies, Coast Guard servicemembers were left unpaid simply because their salaries fall under a different appropriations bill. During the 35-day shutdown of 2018–2019, roughly 50,000 Coast Guard personnel (including about 42,000 active-duty members) went without pay for over a month. The consequences were severe: Coast Guard families struggled to afford basic needs like food and housing, servicemembers stood duty while anxiously worrying about their finances, and many spouses turned to food pantries to make ends meet. Think about that – the men and women guarding our shores and saving lives were essentially pushed to the breadline because of a quirk in budget appropriations. This should never happen in a nation that entrusts these individuals with protecting our coasts and ports. Fairness and common sense demand that the Coast Guard receive the same timely pay as their Department of Defense counterparts in any funding crisis.
Bipartisan Legislation Can Protect Military Pay
Fortunately, Congress has solutions in hand – in fact, two solutions. The Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2025 was crafted to ensure that Coast Guard men and women are never again left behind during a funding lapse. By passing this measure (or including it in the final defense authorization bill), lawmakers can close the funding gap and guarantee that Coast Guard personnel receive the same on-time pay as their DoD counterparts during any shutdown. The second fix is the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026, a companion safeguard for the rest of our Armed Forces (and those who support them). This commonsense, bipartisan bill would guarantee that all members of the U.S. military continue to receive their pay and allowances on time, no matter what. It extends protection not only to active-duty servicemembers in every branch (including Guard and Reserve components), but also to essential support personnel who stand behind our troops – including Department of Defense civilians, Coast Guard personnel under DHS, and even certain mission-critical defense contractors. In essence, this legislation would take the emergency fix applied in 2013 – when Congress unanimously passed a Pay Our Military Act hours before a shutdown to keep troops paid – and make that solution a permanent law of the land.
These proposals have broad bipartisan support. After all, regardless of party, we should all agree that those who wear the uniform must never have to worry about their paycheck. Lawmakers across the political spectrum have voiced support for protecting military pay. Now it’s time to turn that support into action. Members of Congress, I implore you: put politics aside and do right by our military and move swiftly to enact the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026 and the Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2025, giving military families a permanent guarantee that they will never again be caught in Washington’s partisan crossfire.
Our servicemembers and their families have sacrificed and honored their oath to this nation; it’s time for Washington to honor them by ensuring they get paid. Paying our troops is not a Republican or Democratic issue – it is an American obligation. We must never again allow those who defend us to be used as bargaining chips in a budget standoff. Ensuring our military is paid on time, every time – even amid political gridlock – is the very least we can do for those who risk their lives for our country. Congress must act now – not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans – to end this shutdown, protect our troops’ pay, and keep our promise to those who keep us safe.
Jason Stverak is the Chief Advocacy Officer of the Defense Credit Union Council.