Congress and the Administration are actively negotiating proposals to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, but those talks remain stalled over policy disputes that have nothing to do with the U.S. Coast Guard or the U.S. Public Health Service.
As a result, the Coast Guard, and its Reserve members, and USPHS officers, and their Reserve Corps, continue serving the nation while facing uncertainty about their pay. These uniformed servicemembers are not part of the political disagreements driving the shutdown, yet their paychecks are being used as leverage in broader negotiations.
On March 9, ROA joined 31 other members of The Military Coalition urging House and Senate leadership to guarantee uninterrupted pay for all members of the uniformed services of the United States during a government shutdown, specifically USCG and USPHS members.
“As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enters its fourth week without funding and the partial shutdown continues, members of the United States Coast Guard and United States Public Health Service (USPHS) continue to work without pay while carrying critical missions including securing our maritime borders, conducting search and rescue missions, and advancing our nation’s public health,” the letter reads.
This Call to Action urges Congress to do something straightforward and urgent: move Coast Guard and Public Health Service pay forward immediately, separately, and cleanly—without tying it to unrelated DHS policy fights.