Looming government shutdown could hurt military families, veterans

A partial government shutdown this weekend could delay troops’ paychecks at the start of the new year and shutter some base recreation activities just before Christmas, yielding a stressful holiday season for military families.

Congress has until midnight Friday to pass legislation extending the federal budget into the spring and avoiding a government shutdown. House and Senate leaders appeared to have a deal in place on Wednesday morning, but the plans were thrown into disarray when President-elect Donald Trump came out in opposition to the plan Wednesday afternoon.

With the deadline less than 48 hours away and no votes scheduled on the issue in either chamber, federal offices — including ones in the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs — are expected to begin informing employees about shutdown protocols on Thursday.

While a partial shutdown would technically begin early Saturday morning, most of the impacts would not be felt until Monday morning, when the new work week begins.

The following is a look at the most significant impacts for military families and veterans if federal offices are shuttered, based on past memos from government officials.

Military pay

Active-duty troops would be required to continue to report for duty in the event of a shutdown, but their paychecks would stop until a new funding deal is reached.

Practically, troops would not notice that delayed pay until the first week of January, when the next round of military checks is scheduled to be sent out. The 2025 pay is also the first with the 4.5% pay raise for all troops, money that they would not get until later.

During the last partial government shutdown, Defense Department funds were protected but Department of Homeland Security appropriations were not. That meant that most Coast Guard members went without paychecks for weeks, until the stalemate was settled.

A shutdown would also delay some specialty pays and stipends. In 2013, Congress passed legislation protecting military paychecks, but death gratuities for families of troops killed overseas were delayed for weeks because of the budget fight.

Civilian defense workers

Unlike troops, not all civilian defense staffers would be required to keep working in the event of a shutdown. Of the 700,000-plus Defense Department civilian employees, roughly half are considered “essential” employees who would remain on the job without pay.

As a result, some troops could find their offices half-staffed after a shutdown begins, with some key programs halted until funding disputes are settled.

In 2013, most of the 350,000 furloughed Defense Department civilians were called back to work within a week, without pay.

Neither military nor civilian back pay is guaranteed, but in the past Congress has typically authorized paychecks for all workers after a shutdown has ended, whether or not they were at work.

The same does not go for contractors and subcontractors. In many cases, those workers are sent home and lose paychecks for the duration of the shutdown.

Military medical sites

Critical medical and dental care are exempted from shutdown orders, but elective surgery and other elective procedures can be postponed or cancelled during a shutdown.

Private sector health care under Tricare would not be affected by a shutdown, and specialty medical care for wounded warriors would continue. But office hours could be curtailed because of staffing issues.

Child care and MWR

In the past, Defense Department officials have said child care would be decided base-by-base, depending on installation staffing and demands. Families may not know if their facility will remain open until Monday.

Department guidance during previous shutdown threats has also specified that morale, welfare and recreation activities that receive any taxpayer funding will operate during a shutdown if they are deemed necessary to support essential operations. That includes mess halls, physical training and “child care activities required for readiness.”

Non-essential activities could be shuttered.

Activities and organizations funded entirely by nonappropriated funds, such as many MWR activities and the military exchanges, generally will not be affected. The exchanges are largely funded by sales revenue, and part of their profits go to help fund some MWR activities.

Commissaries

Military grocery stores should not be affected unless the shutdown lasts several months. Defense Working Capital Fund activities — which includes the Defense Commissary Agency — is permitted to continue to operate until cash reserves are exhausted.

Defense officials have also provided exceptions to stay open in the past for overseas commissaries and sites “determined to be in remote U.S. locations where no other sources of food are reasonably available for military personnel.”

Veterans Affairs operations

Unlike the Defense Department, most Veterans Affairs offices are funded a year in advance. That blunts the impact of a shutdown on benefits processing, medical centers and other support services, all of which will continue operating amid a partial shutdown.

Hours and appointment availability could be changed because of the budget impasse, but VA hospitals will remain open and operational.

Some department information hotlines could be shuttered during a shutdown, and some VA central office staff would be furloughed until new funding is approved. But compared to other departments, the impact on overall VA operations would be minimal.