Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) introduced a bill Thursday night to ensure military members are paid in the event of a government shutdown.
The Pay Our Troops Act would guarantee all members serving in the U.S. Armed Forces receive paychecks if Congress fails to reach an agreement and provide federal funding by Sept. 30. Currently, only employees deemed “essential” would receive back pay once a shutdown ends.
“I will not allow the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country go without pay,” Kiggans said in a statement. “Our servicemembers shouldn’t suffer because of Washington’s dysfunction.”
Kiggans’s legislation would also include pay security for the Coast Guard and Department of Defense civilian employees. There are about 804,000 civilian defense employees, Kiggans’s release said.
“Roughly 166,000 of those employees do not rely on congressional funding and would continue to work during a shutdown,” she said. “Almost 200,000 would be required to work without pay because they are considered ‘necessary to protect life and property.’”
A recent Defense Department survey found nearly 286,800 active-duty members experience food insecurity, her statement noted.
“As we continue working to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month, this legislation will give our troops the financial certainty they deserve,” Kiggans said in the statement.
“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,” she added
Kiggans is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. On Wednesday, she issued a statement slamming her fellow Republicans for failing to pass a bill that would fund the Defense Department in 2024.
“This type of governing is as irresponsible as it is destructive. Government is not a game. We MUST pass this bill without further delay,” she said Wednesday.