Her husband serves as an officer in the Air Force, but now he’s facing the prospect of missing his next paycheck because of the government shutdown.
While they would receive back pay once the impasse ends, many military families live paycheck to paycheck.
Missed paychecks for military service members are among the most serious pressure points in the shutdown, causing political pain for the lawmakers.
“Think about service members who are deployed right now around the world,” said Dwyer, who served in the Air Force during previous shutdowns.
But she said most service members pay for child care off base.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Due to federal funding reductions, Heather Campbell didn’t have a job at a food bank during the summer. Due to the government shutdown, her husband, an Air Force officer, may have to miss his next paycheck.
Campbell’s husband will not be paid on Wednesday unless Washington lawmakers intervene. As the political impasse continues, the couple expects to rely on credit cards to pay the mortgage and provide for their three children because they do not have enough savings to cover all of their expenses.
“You are requesting that we risk our lives or that those we care about risk their lives,” said 39-year-old Campbell, who resides outside of Montgomery, Alabama, close to Maxwell Air Force Base. You won’t even give us our paycheck, either. What? A lot of trust has been betrayed there. “”.
Because service members and their families are working without compensation during the country’s third shutdown in 12 years, anxiety levels are rising once more. Even though they would get their money back after the standoff is over, many military families barely make ends meet. Congress passed legislation to ensure that troops continued to receive their salaries during previous shutdowns, but less than a week remains before they miss their first paycheck.
Kate Horrell, the wife of a Navy veteran whose home is in Washington, D.D.O., stated, “There are so many things that Congress can’t agree on right now.”. helps military families with their financial needs. “I don’t want to presume that they can come to an agreement on this. “.”.
There is support for paying the troops, but it’s unclear when a deal will be reached.
In response to a question about whether he would back legislation to pay the troops, President Donald Trump stated, “That probably will happen.”. “.”.
“It will be taken care of,” Trump declared on Wednesday. “We will always take care of our military. “”.
Rep. Republicans from Virginia and former Navy helicopter pilot Jen Kiggans have introduced a bill with bipartisan co-sponsors that would keep military and Coast Guard salaries the same.
There are two days to act before Wednesday’s payday because the House will not be in session until the following week. Military service members’ missed paychecks are one of the shutdown’s most significant pressure points, hurting lawmakers politically. There are a number of proposals that have been put forward for vote on stand-alone legislation that would guarantee that wages are not interrupted, but those are not anticipated to be considered at this time.
The uncertainty, according to Amanda Scott, whose husband is an Air Force officer in Colorado, goes beyond the strain of simply making ends meet; it also undermines the military’s capacity to retain the best personnel and their combat readiness.
“If you don’t know if you can provide for your family, how prepared and deadly are you?” asked Scott, 33, of Colorado Springs, who volunteers as a military family advocate and works for a defense contractor. Many of these military personnel are highly qualified and have the opportunity to earn significantly more money in the civilian sector. “.”.
For some families, the aid that is available to service members is insufficient.
Nonprofits and charities offer assistance to military families. For instance, every military branch has a relief organization, and certain financial institutions are providing loans with no interest.
However, Campbell stated that because she and her spouse are refinancing their home in Alabama, they are unable to apply for a payday loan. In the past few years, they have moved to military posts multiple times while repaying student loans, so they don’t have a sizable emergency fund. She frequently had trouble finding reliable employment and childcare.
“On one income, it’s really hard to build up savings,” Campbell stated. Few military families I know have even a month’s worth of income saved for emergencies, much less several months’ worth. “.”.
Jen Cluff, whose spouse recently retired from the Air Force, stated that during the 2019 shutdown, her family was on a food assistance program. However, experts warn that unless the shutdown is stopped, federal funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, which assists over 6 million low-income mothers and young children, will run out in two weeks.
Cluff, 42, of San Antonio, remarked, “We had three young children and made so little.”. We undoubtedly had very little buffer as a family. “.”.
She stated that it “would have been catastrophic for us” to miss more than two paychecks if Congress had not passed legislation to pay troops during the previous shutdown.
Regarding the shutdown, Cluff stated that “the general public, and many in government, truly don’t understand the daily sacrifices our military members and their families make for our country.” He also added that “resentment can grow quickly.”. “”.
Wider effects are feared in areas with a high military presence.
Coastal Virginia, which is home to the largest Navy base in the country as well as numerous other installations, is one area where the economic effects will be felt. According to Rick Dwyer, executive director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, an advocacy group, the 88,000 active duty service members and their families in the area have probably cut back on spending considerably.
Dwyer, who was in the Air Force during earlier shutdowns, said, “Consider the service members who are deployed right now around the world.”. They have to question whether their families will have enough money to cover the rent, child care expenses, and auto payments. “”.
According to a shutdown contingency plan on the Pentagon’s website, money from Trump’s large tax and spending cut bill will be used to sustain military operations. According to the Congressional Budget Office, active duty personnel could be paid with funds appropriated to the Defense Department under the new law.
If the funds would be used for that, it was unclear. Pentagon officials stated on Thursday that they were unable to provide information “at this time.”. “.”.
In addition to actions “necessary for the safety of human life and the protection of property,” its contingency plan states that it will “continue to defend the nation and conduct ongoing military operations.”. “”.
One of the top priorities is to secure the U.S. S. -Mexico border, Middle East operations, and the upcoming Golden Dome missile defense program. “Child care activities required for readiness” would continue, according to the plan.
The majority of child development facilities on military installations are still open, according to Raleigh Smith Duttweiler, chief impact officer for the National Military Family Association. However, she stated that the majority of service members cover off-base child care costs.
“As of the last time I checked, the babysitter for my kids doesn’t have an IOU from the federal government,” stated Duttweiler, whose husband is a Marine.
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This report was written in Washington by Lisa Mascaro of the Associated Press.
