By MOAA Staff

MOAA joined more than a dozen military and veterans organizations Oct. 14 to send a unified message in the face of the ongoing federal shutdown: The time for temporary fixes is over, and members of all eight uniformed services “deserve stability” to allow for a mission-focused force.

“Those who serve our nation should never have to wonder if they’ll be paid for that service,” Maj. Gen. April Vogel, USAF (Ret), MOAA’s vice president of Government Relations, said during the Oct. 14 press conference organized by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in Washington, D.C. “Weeks of uncertainty have taken a toll on our servicemembers, their families, and the civilians who support them.”

While Vogel and other speakers – including representatives of IAVA, The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans – praised recent moves to secure mid-month paychecks for the armed services, they noted the temporary nature of the move, which leaves servicemembers’ end-of-month pay uncertain.

“It is incumbent on the American people to demand that Congress stop making the military and veterans the pawns in their disagreements. To ensure that our troops are paid consistently, not by a wind and a hope and a stopgap measure,” IAVA CEO Kyleanne Hunter said. 

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Pass the Pay Our Troops Act]

Covering All Who Serve

MOAA and other groups at the conference continue to back bipartisan legislation which would ensure payment for those in the armed services during the current funding lapse. However, the bills as written would not cover members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officer Corps or the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. There has been no information provided by the Departments of Health and Human Services or Commerce regarding those payments.

MOAA signed onto a recent letter written by the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service seeking a technical amendment to pay-protection legislation that would cover all in uniform.

“Their service is vital, and they should not be left out,” Vogel said.

[MORE FROM MOAA: Shutdown Resources | Servicemember/Retiree Pay FAQ]

Ending the Cycle

As lawmakers and advocates continue discussing legislative fixes and workarounds to provide service-earned pay and resources during a shutdown, the root cause remains lawmakers’ inability to pass a budget on time. When Congress pushes these negotiations to the brink – and sometimes past it – its members “weaken readiness, delay critical modernization and training, and undermine morale,” Vogel said.

“Breaking the decades-long cycle of continuing resolutions and ensuring a fully funded government remains the clearest path forward to providing for those in uniform,” Vogel stressed.

“Every time Washington fails to act, the people who serve this country pay the price,” she said. “They deserve stability, not another short-term patch.”