This is the first time active-duty service members have missed a paycheck during a government shutdown, Commandant Karl Schultz said in a note to Coast Guard members this week.
Lawmakers are discussing legislation that would fund the Coast Guard payroll during the partial government shutdown.
About 43,000 Coast Guard members did not receive their Jan. 15 paycheck, along with 10,000 other Guard personnel. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, for which funding lapsed in December. Continued funding is part of the showdown in Washington on whether to re-open the government. (Funding for the Department of Defense was already approved, so other military services have not been directly impacted.)
USAA has donated $15 million to Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, which will provide no-interest loans to Guard members, it announced Tuesday.
“USAA’s mission is to be there for our members when they need us most,” USAA CEO Stuart Parker said in a press release.
One Coast Guard wife named Kyla told CNN it has been stressful.
“At the end of the day, we’re a military family, I’m a Coast Guard spouse, and, yes, we’re proud to be here and serve,” Kyla said. “But at the same time, it’s a little disheartening to have to reach out to people for money or take community resources.”
Schultz said in his note that the people are the strength of the service.
“Stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride,” he wrote. “You are not, and will not, be forgotten.”
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew S. Masaschi
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