Hoeven: Ensure Military Members Pay If Government Shuts Down

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Hoeven is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to ensure our men and women in uniform, both at home and abroad, continue to receive military pay and allowances in the event of a government shutdown. S.724, the Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011, a bipartisan bill, would make the necessary funds available to prevent any interruption in pay for active duty members of the military, as well as Coast Guard and Reserve Components, if there is a funding gap.

 “The troops serving our country at home and abroad, and especially those on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq, shouldn’t have to worry about how to pay their bills,” said Hoeven. “Ensuring they receive their paychecks is the least we can do for their selfless service to our country.”

Currently, more than 90,000 troops are serving in Afghanistan with an additional 45,000 in Iraq. A draft planning memo from the Defense Department indicates military personnel would be required to show up to work, although no concrete guidelines have been established regarding how a shutdown would affect their pay. The Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011 also includes a provision to give the Secretary of Defense the discretion to allow DoD civilians or contractors that support the military to continue to be paid during a shutdown as well. 

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