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Dan Lamothe
Journalist covering the Pentagon and the US Army
The Coast Guard Master, 1st Class Officer, Joseph Stoltz, and his wife, Jenilee, knew that it was permissible for them to move to Guam. military career would be an adjustment. But after two typhoons hit the Pacific Island this fall, the family is now facing another worry: a federal government with no end imminent.
The dismemberment of some parts of the government has not affected other military services because the Department of Defense has an approved budget for next year. But the Coast Guard receives funding from the Department of Homeland Security, which is subject to closure, as well as other departmental agencies.
The situation becomes very clear when the Congress adjourns this week without the dispute over the $ 5 billion proposed by President Trump being resolved. border.
The closure could affect approximately 42,000 active duty coast guards and 1,300 civilian service personnel, Lt. Col. Cmdr said. Scott McBride, a spokesman for the service. An additional 7,400 Coast Guard civilians are now on indefinite leave.
The Coast Guard announced Friday that it would pay the military service until December 31, said McBride, reversing an even more serious situation. But any salary after that will require a new spending agreement. The last pay period of civilian employees ended on December 22nd.
Overall, about 420,000 government employees work under the promise that they will be paid retroactively, and another 350,000 on leave at home.
Petty Officer 1st Class Coast Guard Joseph Stoltz and his wife Jenilee knew that settling in Guam for his military career would be an adjustment. But after two typhoons struck the Pacific Island this fall, the family is now facing another worry, Jenilee said: An endless federal government closure in sight. (Courtesy of Stoltz family / Courtesy of Stoltz family)
The situation has become increasingly frustrating for many members of the Coast Guard family, many of whom have expressed anger at being treated differently. from the rest of the army. With many assignments in costly coastal areas, service members rely not only on paychecks, but also on frozen government housing allowances that supplement income.
"The fact that I am now concerned that our bills are paid in time to wait until the last minute to do so is frustrating," said Jenilee Stoltz, who has already cut Christmas presents this year. because of the expense of typhoons. "We are unlucky. We have no more options.
Coast guards are fleeing the interviews, which is in keeping with the tradition of the military that base members stay away from political issues. But several military spouses, who are not subject to the same restrictions, said that if Trump and lawmakers could not agree, they want an agreement now reached to save the military from financial ruin. Senator John Thune (RS.D.) introduced the Coast Guard Act in 2015, but was unsuccessful.
Natalie Daniels, wife of a small officer, said that her family had been reassigned to San Diego, Maine, they were struck by the much higher cost of living. The family, which includes four children, rents a small three-bedroom house for $ 2,600 a month.
"The fact that we sit at this point is absurd," said Daniels, who is finishing his undergraduate degree. "On the Coast Guard Facebook page, women say," I know there is not much, but if someone needs diapers, let's help them. Let's prepare a spreadsheet and help each other. This is the saddest part. The government is not trying to help us.
The service will remain deployed during the closure and conduct operations including law enforcement, search and rescue, harbor security and environmental protection, McBride said. Other "non-essential" operations will be delayed or reduced, including boating safety checks, fishing patrols, and routine maintenance of marine aids.
The coast guard situation has elicited old ideas that service contributions are not as popular in Washington. as in the rest of the army.
In some corners, he also undermined the goodwill that Trump had established with this service by highlighting the relief of the hurricane, praising his "mark" and promising to fund icebreakers called to strengthen polar security. Ship financing is changing, with the Senate version of a $ 750 million credit bill to begin construction of the first new vessel. The House version does not include money, a symptom of trying to find money for the Trump Wall.
Brooke Kuczka, whose husband is a small officer in Mobile, Alabama, said she was upset to see Trump tweet on Thursday. without proof that most people who are not paid after the closure are Democrats.
"Many soldiers are traditionally Republicans, so I can not believe that he said that," she said. "It's the bananas that the employees who are currently working at the border are not getting paid right now."
Ashley Totten, who lives with her husband, street officer, near Houston, said she was mocking to know if anyone was Republican or Republican. Democrat, as long as they defend his family. She stays home to take care of a son who has a heart defect.
"We are already stressed and we are worried about whether or not to have open heart surgery," she said. "That deserves my attention, without trying to find out how long we will be in order without money."
Several members of the Coast Guard family said the situation had been aggravated by USAA, a financial services company that provides banking and insurance services to about 11 million people with ties to the United States. # 39; army.
In previous shutdowns, the government had offered interest-free, interest-free loans to members of the service who had to pay back the money when the government reopened. USAA decided this time to offer borrowings of a minimum amount of $ 2,500 and an annual percentage rate of 0.01.
"We have been with USAA for 14 years now and we started leaving them," said Kristin Kuzik, whose husband is stationed on the Saginaw River in Michigan. "We were very disappointed not to have our backs and not allow us to defer our borrowings."
Matthew Hartwig, spokesman for USAA, said the company included " the anguish felt by many Coast Guard families during this closure. " USAA has decided to "rethink" its offers to offer members of the departments concerned a 12-month payback period, rather than asking them to do so immediately.
"The product we are currently offering is more flexible, Hartwig said. "He would be available to other members of the armed forces on active service in the other branches of the army if they were facing a break in pay. A new reality is closures that are potentially recurrent or prolonged by the government.
Kuzik is grateful to the members of his church who raised $ 340 for food and gas gift cards when they learned how this closure would affect their family. Not everyone has that chance, she said.
"For me, it's a crisis right now for people," she said. "They are tied up and we do not know when the pay is coming."
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