Government Shutdown Worries Focus on the Military, for Good Reason

During the House Speaker crisis, military service members were sent to the front lines once again, not to fight a war against great powers across oceans, but to serve as a rhetorical tool for politicians within U.S. borders. The nearly avoided government shutdown in September 2023 that catalyzed the removal of former Speaker McCarthy highlighted a weakness in the American model of democracy and how this weakness directly affects national security and military readiness. Members of our Armed Forces do not get paid during a government shutdown. Elected officials such as President Biden and now former Speaker McCarthy pleaded with members of Congress to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and open, oftentimes citing the military as an example of why Congress cannot allow a shutdown to occur. While an emotional rallying cry for lawmakers to get behind, the real implications for service members are rarely discussed or understood.  

Without Congress passing additional legislation, the Department of Defense issues guidance for operations under a no-pay scenario. An important aspect of this guidance is that active-duty service members are still expected to show up to work. Recognizing the dangers this situation poses for national security, as well as the livelihoods of servicemembers and their families, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, of Virginia’s 2nd District, a former service member herself, introduced the “Pay Our Troops Act.” This proposed legislation would use funds from the Treasury to protect service members and certain civilian employees in the event the government was shut down in late September. Some of the challenges faced by service members in “no-pay” scenarios are temporary, but when added up, decrease morale and retention, two vital aspects of military readiness. 

Many services that are not specifically funded through a Congressional appropriation pause, and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands immediately and drastically increase in stress. Basic services such as on base hospitals, schools, and commissaries (military on-base grocery stores) limit their operations. As a result, children of service members cannot participate in their extracurricular activities provided by the DoD school system. U.S. based commissaries often halt operations, leading families to re-evaluate where they can buy their food. If morale and retention were a concern of elected officials in the first place, allowing the government to shutdown only exacerbates these issues. 

Not only does a shutdown affect the way service members and their families go about their lives within a military base, but it induces strain on inter-base logistics by freezing the ever-flowing movement of soldiers, sailors, and airmen among bases around the world. Anyone who has known a member of the armed forces is familiar with “PCSing,” or “Permanent Change of Station-‘ing.’” The standing military policy moves members of the fighting force across the country every few years to join a new company, ship, or squadron. This philosophy decreases the emotional attachment that could occur with prolonged stints in one location, and ensures all necessary positions are filled at all times. Though not always the case, oftentimes when service members get promoted, they receive orders to go to a new schoolhouse for additional training. This schooling and subsequent assignment to a new division can result in one or two moves for them and their families within the span of a year. Government shutdowns interrupt this constant flow.  

Government shutdowns overwhelm the military’s systems of operation. Backups of training pipelines and backlogs of maintenance occupy the forefront of the minds of military leaders, but are backburner thoughts for politicians. When lawmakers allow a shutdown to occur, they increase the stress an already strained workforce must deal with. 

Contractors and civilians employed by the DoD feel the effects of a shutdown as well. Depending on the specific job they hold, some may be permitted to continue in their day-to-day work, but many of them are furloughed when the pay stops. Furloughs have a two-pronged effect: members affected by a furlough,  and the ripple effect on those related to their work (i.e. delayed projects, expenses building). 

Delayed projects, higher costs of operation, decreased morale, and low rates of recruitment and retention weaken U.S. military readiness capabilities. U.S. adversaries see those weaknesses and hope to exploit them. Historical national security doctrine always aims to ensure military readiness. Allowing a shutdown to occur does not ensure military readiness and increased instances of shutdown threats hint at a disturbing claim that the United States is in a stage of democratic backslide. Is this a time for adversaries to be more aggressive? Surely. Is this a time when our own leaders can focus and strengthen our military resolve? Definitely, and luckily, we do see some lawmakers taking the correct steps to mitigate some of these issues. Actions such as Congresswoman Jen Kiggan’s “Pay Our Troops Act” shows adaptability by our representatives and their acknowledgment of the importance of funding the military throughout a political crisis. 

We can take solace in the fact that Speaker McCarthy ensured that the above-mentioned problems did not come to fruition. His political loss is a glimmer of hope that while some members of Congress may use a shutdown as a political tool to their advantage, democracy might persevere if enough elected officials are willing to risk losing their seat of power to avoid a catastrophe. 

When the threat of a shutdown rears its ugly head once again, as it surely will, do not be surprised if we see a similar appeal citing our service members. However, it is important to understand the hidden costs of what may happen if a last-minute save does not come to the rescue as it did today. If it does not, we need a policy proposal such as the “Pay Our Troops Act” to ensure military readiness, even if the rest of the government remains unfunded.