ICYMI: Kiggans Champions Effort to Pay Troops During Potential Shutdown
Last week, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans voted to avoid a harmful government shutdown, but she didn’t stop there. The former Navy helicopter pilot also introducedcommonsense legislation to ensure service members are paid if Democrats shut down the government.
“Since day one in office, Navy veteran Jen Kiggans has been a tireless advocate for our men and women in uniform. Military families know Jen will always have their backs in Washington.” – NRCC Spokesman Reilly Richardson
Read more from Stars and Stripes here or see excerpts below:
Lawmakers seek to guarantee troop pay in case of a government shutdown
Svetlana Shkolnikova
Stars and Stripes
September 17, 2025
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure troops, including members of the Coast Guard, continue to receive paychecks if congressional gridlock leads to a government shutdown on Oct. 1.
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., this week reintroduced the Pay Our Troops Act to guarantee service members get paid if Congress fails to pass federal funding legislation for the 2026 fiscal year by the end of the month.
“As a former Navy helicopter pilot, wife of a veteran and mom of a service member, I know firsthand the sacrifices military families make every single day,” she said. “The last thing they should face is financial uncertainty caused by partisan gridlock.”
[…]
Kiggans’ legislation, which has dozens of co-sponsors, would direct that existing, unappropriated U.S. Treasury funds be used to continue paying members of the armed forces, both active and reserve duty, as well as the Coast Guard.
The funds would also pay civilian employees at the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, and contractors who directly support service members.
Multiple military and veterans organizations have endorsed the bill, describing it as a “common-sense, bipartisan” measure that protects military personnel from the political uncertainty of government shutdowns.
“Our military is willing to do their job for the country, which often puts their lives at risk,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, the CEO of the nonprofit Blue Star Families. “We just ask that Congress do their job to keep the government running and get us paid.”
[…]
Activists have warned that even one missed paycheck can put troops at serious financial risk.
One in three military families has less than $3,000 in savings, according to Blue Star Families, and the Defense Department previously estimated that nearly one in four service members has trouble putting food on the table.
If Congress does not pass pay protections before a government shutdown takes effect, service members will receive back pay for any missed paychecks once federal funding resumes.