MOAA joined fellow organizations representing tens of millions of members of the uniformed services community in recent pushes to protect servicemembers and families as the federal funding lapse enters its second week.

The shutdown “has direct and devastating consequences for those who serve and have served, as well as their families,” reads an Oct. 3 letter to House and Senate leadership signed by MOAA and nearly two dozen other groups. The letter seeks immediate passage of the Pay Our Troops Act, which would ensure servicemembers receive their compensation while budget negotiations continue. Servicemembers were paid Oct. 1, but would not receive Oct. 15 checks without this legislation or the reopening of the government.

[SHUTDOWN FAQ: Pay and Retirement]

“Regardless of the broader funding debates, the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families must not suffer because Congress cannot agree on funding the government,” the letter reads.

The bipartisan legislation (H.R. 5401) introduced Sept. 16 by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) had 122 cosponsors as of Oct. 7. It would secure pay for all uniformed members of the armed services (to include the Coast Guard) along with civilians and contractors supporting those in uniform.

[TAKE ACTION: Urge Your Lawmakers to Pay Servicemembers During a Shutdown]

Paying ALL Who Serve

The Pay Our Troops Act, along with similar legislation introduced in both chambers earlier in 2025, does not provide protections to members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officer Corps or the NOAA Corps. MOAA joined another group of stakeholders in an Oct. 7 letter to Kiggans and to Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Alaska Republican who introduced the Pay Our Military Act of 2025, seeking a technical amendment to these bills as a way to include these officers.

“These men and women in USPHS and NOAA, like their counterparts in the Armed Forces, are sworn to serve and defend our nation in times of crisis and directly support the Armed Forces,” the letter states, noting the work of USPHS officers as medical support for the Coast Guard and NOAA Corps members providing significant resources to aid in Navy and Marine Corps operations.

“In the event of a government shutdown, these personnel must not be excluded from the protections this bill offers,” states the letter, authored by the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service and signed by MOAA and more than a dozen other organizations.

[READ THE LETTER]

MOAA will continue its work to support all members of the uniformed service community, helping ensure those in uniform do not shoulder the burden of failed budget talks. Make your voice heard today, and visit MOAA.org/news for ongoing updates on the federal funding lapse.