The Pentagon says that troops will still protect the nation under a looming government shutdown “but possibly without pay.”
“A shutdown would be detrimental for the department,” said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh. “Troops would go without pay. Military families would be impacted, of course. For folks that are not getting paychecks, that impacts how and when [they] can buy groceries, child care, all of these things. Commissaries would be closed on bases. So, we are still … we’re hoping that Congress can reach a deal to avert a shutdown. But we are planning for that or taking steps to plan for that, should a shutdown occur.”
This is hard to swallow. Congress cannot agree on a budget to fund the United States but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to pass a bill to fund aid to Ukraine either way. The U.S. has also authorized a $2 billion loan to Poland for military aid. Where does that money come from?
Lawmakers will vote today on a package of bills to avoid a shutdown.
Moodys warned on Monday that if the government does shut down, it would threaten the country’s triple A credit rating. Moody’s is the last credit agency that has not yet downgraded the US’s debt. They are fairly wishful about it. They say that the U.S. economy could weather a government shutdown “if it’s short-lived.”
