Heather Campbell, whose husband serves as an Air Force officer near Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, is preparing for the possibility that her family will not receive his military paycheck next week if the current government shutdown continues. Campbell, who lost her job at a food bank due to federal funding cuts, said the family would have to rely on credit cards to cover expenses for their three children.
“You’re asking us to put our lives on the line or the people we love to put their lives on the line,” Campbell said. “And you’re not even going to give us our paycheck. What? There is a lot of broken trust there.”
This is the third government shutdown in 12 years, and once again, service members are working without pay until Congress reaches an agreement. Although troops are usually granted back pay after a shutdown ends, many families struggle financially between paychecks. In previous shutdowns, Congress passed measures ensuring uninterrupted military pay, but lawmakers have yet to act before this coming Wednesday’s payday.
“There are so many things that Congress can’t agree on right now,” said Kate Horrell, whose Washington, D.C., company offers financial advice to military families. “I don’t want to assume that they’re going to be able to agree on this.”
President Donald Trump indicated support for legislation that would continue paying troops during the shutdown: “that probably will happen.” He added, “We’ll take care of it. Our military is always going to be taken care of.”
Representative Jen Kiggans, a Republican from Virginia and former Navy helicopter pilot, has introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at maintaining salaries for active-duty military and Coast Guard personnel. However, with the House closed until next week and only two days left before payday, it remains uncertain when or if such legislation will pass.
Amanda Scott of Colorado Springs described how ongoing uncertainty affects morale among service members and their families: “How ready and lethal are you if you don’t know if you can feed your family?” Scott said. “A lot of these service members are highly skilled and can go out and make much more money in the civilian sector.”
Nonprofits and charities offer some support for affected families—such as zero-interest loans from certain financial institutions—and each branch has its own relief organization. Still, not all families qualify for assistance or have enough savings.
“The opportunity to build up savings is really difficult on just one income,” Campbell explained.
Jen Cluff of San Antonio recalled relying on food aid during the 2019 shutdown: “We made so little and had three young children,” she said. Experts warn that programs like WIC could run out of funds within two weeks unless federal funding resumes.
If Congress had not acted during the last shutdown, missing multiple paychecks “would have been catastrophic for us,” Cluff said. She added: “Resentment can grow quickly…the general public, and many in government, truly don’t understand the daily sacrifices our military members and their families make for our country.”
The economic effects may be especially pronounced in areas with large military populations such as coastal Virginia. Rick Dwyer of Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance noted local spending likely dropped sharply as thousands of service members await their next check.
“Think about service members who are deployed right now around the world,” Dwyer said. “They’re having to wonder if their families are going to be able to pay the rent, the child care bills, the car payments.”
The Pentagon’s contingency plan states that critical operations—including those related to national defense and border security—will continue using funds authorized under recent tax and spending laws. However, it remains unclear whether these funds will cover active duty personnel salaries during the shutdown; Pentagon officials declined comment Thursday.
Raleigh Smith Duttweiler from National Military Family Association stated most base child development centers remain open but acknowledged most families rely on off-base childcare providers: “Last I checked, my kids’ babysitter doesn’t take an IOU from the federal government,” Duttweiler said.
