Coast Guard Pay During DHS Shutdown

The Coast Guard was paid today. That's great news for service members and their families. But what's not great is the stress and uncertainty they experienced leading up to this payday. Late Thursday night, we were able to confirm with the Office of Management and Budget that the March 13th paycheck was coming. But before that, Coast Guard leaders couldn't tell their units one way or the other if pay would arrive. As recently as yesterday afternoon, members of Congress were introducing legislation to guarantee Coast Guard pay while negotiations continued because even they didn't know if the money was there. Our efforts to get answers bounced from Coast Guard headquarters to DHS and finally to OMB. At the very least, the people standing watch for this country shouldn't have to wonder whether their paycheck will show up. Whether they can cover groceries, child care and rent. The pay came through, but the communication needs to be better.