As the United States government shutdown drags into its fourth day, the consequences are rippling far beyond the marble halls of Congress. With lawmakers at an impasse and the Capitol echoing with partisan blame, military families, defense officials, and foreign policy hawks are sounding the alarm about the real-world fallout—especially for those in uniform and America’s global standing.
At the heart of the current standoff is a bitter dispute over healthcare provisions, with Democrats pushing to extend pandemic-era subsidies for Affordable Care Act enrollees and to reverse Medicaid cuts embedded in President Donald Trump’s reconciliation bill. Meanwhile, the failure to pass crucial spending legislation has left the government partially shuttered, with no clear end in sight.
For America’s service members and their families, the stakes could hardly be higher. The National Military Family Association, a leading advocacy group, has launched a nationwide campaign urging the public to contact their representatives in support of the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026—a bill designed to ensure that military personnel, Defense Department civilians, and Coast Guard members continue to receive pay and benefits during the shutdown. According to the association, more than 10,000 letters have already been sent to Congress through its Military Family Action Center, reflecting mounting anxiety within the military community.
“What prompted us to start doing this is the realization that if Congress does not come to a spending agreement within the next less than two weeks, members of the military risk losing a paycheck,” Eileen Huck, deputy director of government relations at the National Military Family Association, told Federal News Network. The group has made it easy for supporters to get involved: a simple online form allows anyone to send a pre-drafted letter to their elected officials in minutes.
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), who reintroduced the Pay Our Troops Act in September—just over two weeks before the shutdown began—has emphasized the urgency of the legislation. "It ensures that we honor the commitment of our troops by guaranteeing their pay, no matter what happens in Washington," Kiggans said. The bill boasts dozens of bipartisan co-sponsors, but as of October 3, 2025, it remains stalled in committee. Huck expressed disappointment at the lack of progress, noting, "If Congress had wanted to prioritize this, there was definitely time for them to do so. And I don’t know why that didn’t happen. Ultimately our hope would be that Congress is able to overcome its differences and come to an agreement to fund the entire government. But until that happens, we would like to see Congress move on this very common sense piece of legislation that would ensure our service members are paid."
The situation is not without precedent. During the 2013 government shutdown, a similar bill passed within two days—just hours before funding lapsed. In the more recent 2018-2019 shutdown, which lasted a record 34 days, Defense Department personnel continued to be paid thanks to supplemental appropriations, but Coast Guard members were not so lucky. For 35 days, they worked without pay, forcing many families to seek assistance from organizations like Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, which delivered $8.4 million in relief to over 6,200 Coast Guard members and their families. Huck recalled, "Service members were paid during that shutdown, but the Coast Guard was not, and they went for 35 days without receiving pay. And it was extremely challenging. That is a very long time to go without a paycheck. And we heard stories about families visiting food banks. We heard stories about families having trouble paying their bills. That’s part of the reason why we are so anxious for this [the Pay Our Troops] bill to pass because we saw what happened last time to service members in the Coast Guard, and the last thing we would want to see is that repeated on an even bigger scale across the entire Department of Defense."
Yet, while military families rally for pay protection, the shutdown has also become a flashpoint in the broader debate over America’s defense posture and foreign policy commitments. On Friday, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a veteran of defense appropriations battles and a key Republican voice on foreign affairs, took to the Senate floor to decry the continuing resolution funding mechanism and demand a full-year defense appropriations bill. McConnell, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, warned that repeated stopgap measures were "devastating to US military readiness," and that failure to unlock a sweeping "Trump buildup" of the armed forces would undermine deterrence against adversaries like Russia and China.
McConnell’s remarks, reported by Kyiv Post, tied the funding deadlock directly to America’s ability to support Ukraine and maintain its commitments to NATO and AUKUS partners. "If the Administration means what it says about restoring deterrence," he argued, "it would recognize how plans to reduce security cooperation with frontline NATO allies invite more brazen Russian incursions into the alliance’s territory and airspace." He added, "China is watching closely for signs of weakening American commitments to European allies, to Ukraine, or to AUKUS partners."
Backing his position with polling data and House voting records, McConnell highlighted what he described as "overwhelming bipartisan and public support for arming Kyiv." He cited a recent poll showing that "more than six in 10 Americans support sending more arms and military supplies to help Ukraine win. That includes a clear majority of Republicans!" He also pointed to a House vote rejecting an amendment that would have barred further assistance to Ukraine, noting that "no less than 72% of House Republicans—including leadership—said continuing to arm Ukraine’s defense was a good idea."
In a nod to former President Trump, McConnell praised him for "green-lighting an expansion of intelligence cooperation that members of his Administration had wanted to end." He argued that only robust, full-year appropriations could send the right signal to America’s adversaries: "Our investments in the common defense are a signal of our national resolve," McConnell said, urging Congress to "put our money where our mouth is on re-establishing deterrence." He called for "serious, increased, full-year investments in the national defense," insisting the budget debate was about more than dollars and cents—it was about the military’s ability to "deter and win wars."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has warned of potential government worker layoffs and "irreversible" cuts if Democrats do not support the GOP’s continuing resolution to fund the government through November. Trump told reporters, "The last person that wants to shut down is us. With that being said, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like." Nevertheless, as of October 3, 2025, the Defense Department’s shutdown guidance does not call for cuts to its civilian workforce.
With the Senate failing to pass competing bills to fund the government and both parties entrenched, the shutdown is poised to drag on, with military families and America’s allies anxiously watching for signs of a breakthrough. The Pay Our Troops Act remains stalled, and calls for a new era of defense investment echo through Washington’s corridors. As the days tick by, the cost of congressional gridlock grows ever more tangible for those who serve—and for the nation’s place in a turbulent world.
