What a government shutdown would mean for the U.S. military — and national security
The federal government will shut down on October 1 if Congress doesn't pass funding legislation for the next fiscal year before then — which is looking increasingly likely.
That raises plenty of questions. Among them: What happens to the military?
Service members will continue to report for duty, though they will not get paid during a shutdown. And many of the hundreds of thousands of civilians who work for the Department of Defense will likely be furloughed, says White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
"And they do vital, critical work on a daily basis to keep the department going," Kirby told Morning Edition.
Separately, the Department of Defense says post and base services would be closed or limited, while elective surgeries and procedures in its medical and dental facilities would have to be postponed. Commissaries would remain open overseas but close in the U.S.
And certain Pentagon activities, like operational planning and military recruitment, will be paused.
Defense officials warned earlier this week that a shutdown would strategically "play into the hands of U.S. competitors" because it would cost time as well as money. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh called it "the worst thing that could happen."
"The U.S. military's going to continue to do its job and protect our national security interests, and of our allies and partners as well," she said, adding that a shutdown would make those efforts harder. "When you don't have your full operating capacity to be able to help with the mission, to be able to conduct an exercise or training, of course, that gets to our national security and readiness."
Kirby agrees that a prolonged shutdown could harm national security, especially when it comes to delayed management of DOD contracts for things like maintenance, logistics and procurement.
He says the White House is working to make sure employees understand what a shutdown could mean for them and to make plans in case they are affected. It's also urging Congress to do its job. Though, Kirby notes, the issue is really between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the small group of hardline House Republicans demanding steep budget cuts.
It's not the only recent example of members of Congress holding up military proceedings.
Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is blocking more than 300 military promotions and appointments over his objection to the Pentagon's abortion policy. Kirby says the freezing of those nominations is "certainly not helping matters."
"Imagine you're one of these officers, that you can't move on to your next duty assignment," he explained. "You're paying out of pocket now for expenses that you thought you'd be able to cover because you were moving to the next assignment and now you might not get a paycheck. So it's absolutely going to, I think, just make the morale and the welfare for our families and for our people even that much worse."
Congress could act to guarantee military pay
Congress made sure active-duty military and reservists still got paid during the last shutdown in 2018-2019, as well as those of 2013 and 1995-1996.
That's because the full-year Defense appropriations bill had already become law, in two of those cases, or because Congress passed specific legislation in 2013 preemptively guaranteeing military pay, Roll Call explains.
It could theoretically do that again now, in the dwindling days before the shutdown deadline. And some lawmakers are trying.
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., a former Navy helicopter pilot, introduced legislation in the House last week that would ensure military members get paid in the event of a shutdown. And more than a dozen Republican senators introduced a similar bill on Tuesday.
"Our servicemembers shouldn't suffer because of Washington's dysfunction," Kiggans said. "At a time where inflation and interest rates continue to hurt our military families, we must continue to get our economy back on track by cutting wasteful spending but we must also ensure our military gets a paycheck."
One in three military families have less than $3,000 in savings, Kathy Roth-Douquet, the founder and CEO of nonprofit Blue Star Families, said in a statement.
Kirby says a lack of pay will have a "very, very significant effect" on servicemembers and their families.
"Look, you don't join the military to get rich. Certainly the pay is good. But they need those paychecks," he added. "They've got rent. They've got mortgages. They've got groceries. And so they'll still show up to do the work of the country and do the nation's bidding. But they won't get paid."
Service members will get back pay once the government is funded again. And while paychecks go out every two weeks, Kirby says even a short shutdown could result in processing delays once it reopens.
Kirby, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and former Pentagon press secretary, has experienced that paycheck backlog for himself. And he says those delays don't just impact members' checkbooks, but their welfare and morale too.
"We like to say that, at least in the Navy, you recruit a sailor, but you retain — you keep — a family," he added. "And those families will be helping make those decisions about whether they want to keep serving with this kind of disruption."
The broadcast interview was produced by Taylor Haney.
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Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We're getting pretty close to a partial government shutdown. Congress is supposed to approve routine appropriations bills to set federal spending levels by September 30, which is this weekend. The Senate is now starting on a short-term funding measure, which would give Congress a few weeks to work out the long-term measure, but they need a few days to finish that. The House is trying to vote this week on a short-term measure that would differ from the one in the Senate. We have heard what a shutdown would mean for social programs if Congress doesn't get its job done. But what about the military? White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby is with us on the line. Admiral Kirby, welcome back.
JOHN KIRBY: Thank you very much, Steve. Good to be with you this morning.
INSKEEP: I'm just thinking about government shutdowns. Nonessential federal workers are sent home. Essential workers keep working. I would think the military sounds pretty essential. Does this affect them at all?
KIRBY: Well, it certainly won't affect their duties. The active-duty military will still show up to work. They'll still do all the missions that they do every day to protect and defend the country, but they would not get paid under a shutdown. And that is going to have a very, very significant effect on them and their families. Look, you don't join the military to get rich. Certainly, the pay is good. But they need those paychecks. They've got rent. They've got mortgages. They've got groceries. And so they'll still show up to do the work of the country and do the nation's bidding, but they won't get paid.
The other thing, Steve, to remember is the civil servants that support the Department of Defense - there are hundreds of thousands of them. They - many of them will be - in fact, probably most of them will be furloughed, which means they not only get not - they're not getting paid, but they're not showing up for work. And they do vital, critical work on a daily basis to keep the department going.
INSKEEP: I'm just thinking about the paycheck. Some people will know you drew a military paycheck once upon a time, and I'm just even thinking about the timing. You get paid every two weeks, every month? How does it work?
KIRBY: It's every two weeks. Yes, right.
INSKEEP: And then I'm thinking about past government shutdowns. We've learned from them that even if the federal government is only shut down for a few hours or a couple of days, doesn't that screw up procedures and processes such that somebody's paycheck - two-week paycheck might be delayed?
KIRBY: It could happen, yes. In fact, even a short-term delay could result in delays - processing delays of the actual paychecks once the government's back open again. So you'll have a little bit - I went through this myself. You'll have a little bit of a backlog before those paychecks start showing up again in your bank account. And again, when you're - you know, when - you know, you're living out in town, you got rent. You got power bills. You got groceries to buy. I mean, it has an effect. And it not only will have effect on their checkbooks, but it'll have an effect on their morale and welfare. We like to say that - at least in the Navy - you know, you recruit a sailor, but you retain - you keep a family. And those families will be helping make those decisions about whether they, you know, want to keep - you know, keep serving, you know, with this kind of disruption.
INSKEEP: OK. So you can see this coming. It's not certain, I guess, but it seems more and more likely. What kinds of contingency plans are being put in place at the White House where you work?
KIRBY: Well, the first thing we're doing is making sure that the workforce understands what could happen here, which is - we're doing it across the government - informing the workforce, letting them know, making sure that people can make the appropriate plans in case they are affected by it. We're also, you know, urging Congress to do its job. And obviously, we're staying in touch with Congress throughout this process. But it really is between the speaker and this small group of very extreme Republicans in the House of Representatives that are holding this up. So while we're working with Congress, certainly there's a limit to what we can do and we can affect, given that this is really existing inside, particularly, the House of Representatives.
INSKEEP: Is the military already struggling a little bit with politics here, given that hundreds of military promotions and appointments have been held up by Senator Tommy Tuberville in a dispute over abortion rules?
KIRBY: It's certainly not helping matters to have more than 300 senior officers now also freezing. So imagine you're one of these officers that you can't move on to your next duty assignment. You're paying out of pocket now for expenses that you thought you'd be able to cover because you were moving to the next assignment, and now you might not get a paycheck. So it's absolutely going to, you know, I think, just make the morale and the welfare for our families and for our people even that much worse.
INSKEEP: OK. Bottom line, the effect on national security - what's a word you would use, a verb you would use? Does this harm national security? Does it degrade national security? Does a shutdown - what does a shutdown do to American national security of, say, a few days?
KIRBY: It actually could harm national security depending on how long it goes on, Steve, particularly when it comes to the - like, the business of moving the Department of Defense forward, like contract management. So many of these civilians work in contract management - contracts for maintenance, logistics, procurement of new capabilities. That contract - those contract - that contract work would be delayed.
INSKEEP: John Kirby of the White House, thanks so much.
KIRBY: You bet. My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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