The sky is not falling. Western civilization is not on the brink of extinction. Scary headlines such as Military.com’s “Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown” are not credible. Our courageous military — soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, and Guardians — will be paid on Oct. 15.
During the Trump 45 administration, Congress failed in its responsibility to pass a Defense Appropriations Bill on time. And now it is happening again. The congressional appropriators failed to do their job and pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government, but the Pentagon will use unobligated prior-year funds to pay military members.
Active-Duty Military Pay Safe
Typically, at this time of year, Congress passes a stopgap funding bill, known as a CR, to keep the government operating. In years past, the CR kept the government open for business but limited it to the previous year’s topline appropriation. When the stopgap legislation finally passes, senators and congressmen exclaim how they avoided a government shutdown. What they really did was pass legislation that amounted to a deposition on how Congress could not do its job. The most significant responsibility entrusted to the US legislative body by the Constitution – to pass an annual budget on time – Congress chose not to do.
