WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) recently reintroduced the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure Coast Guard personnel receive pay and allowances in the event of a government shutdown. The legislation would ensure that the Coast Guard gets the same treatment as the other branches of the armed services if there is a lapse in appropriations. Because the Coast Guard is housed within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it was left off a previous funding stopgap that only covered the Department of Defense (DoD).

Upon introduction of the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, Sen. Cruz said:

“Our bipartisan Pay Our Coast Guard Act simply treats Coast Guardsmen the same as all other service members and ensures they receive their pay and benefits if there is a government shutdown. Texans depend on Coast Guard personnel to safeguard our ports, patrol our waterways, and stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling. With over 2,000 Coast Guard personnel stationed in Texas, from Corpus Christi to Galveston, to South Padre Island, and elsewhere, Coast Guard service members are hard at work to protect Americans at sea. It’s time we do the right thing and make it clear that if we pay our Department of Defense troops, we will also pay our troops in the Coast Guard.”

Sen. Cantwell said:

“This commonsense legislation would ensure that Coast Guard members receive their paycheck in the event of a government shutdown, just like the other members of the armed forces. Coast Guard members and their families make sacrifices for us every day and provide an incredible service to the Pacific Northwest and the nation through search and rescue, emergency response, oil spill prevention, facilitating maritime commerce, and protecting national security. We must honor their commitment and service by guaranteeing they receive their pay on time.”

Sen. Wicker said:

“The Coast Guard is an integral part of our national defense, and guardsmen should never feel that their livelihood could be threatened by political gridlock. This legislation would correct that structural problem and signal to the Coast Guard the high value that the Congress places in their mission and operations.”

Sen. Sullivan said:

“The men and women of the Coast Guard are on the front lines defending our nation each and every day. They should never have to worry about missing a paycheck due to Washington gridlock. This bill, which I have supported since joining the Senate, would ensure that if there is a partial government shutdown and the other members of the armed forces are getting paid, the Coast Guard isn’t left behind. Our Coast Guardsmen deserve the same certainty as our Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Guardians, and Marines, and I will keep fighting to make sure they get it.”

Sen. Baldwin said:

“Across the country, Coasties make sacrifices every day to serve and protect our country, and it is crucial they get the pay and benefits they are owed—no matter the dysfunction in Washington. I will fight to prevent any government shutdown, but in the event of one, our bipartisan bill will make sure that our Coast Guard members and their families get their paychecks and support that they deserve.”

Read the full text of this bill HERE.

BACKGROUND:

In the event of a government funding gap in which DOD is funded but DHS is not, this bill would provide, without interruption, pay and allowances to Coast Guard active duty personnel, including reservists who perform active service during the funding gap.

This bill would also provide pay and allowances for Coast Guard civilian personnel and contractors who are providing support to the Coast Guard. Finally, it would provide benefits for Coast Guard active duty personnel and dependents, including: death gratuity, reimbursement of authorized funeral travel, dignified transfer of remains, unit memorial services, and temporary continuation of housing allowance for dependents of Coast Guard members who lost their lives on active duty.

Sens. Cruz, Cantwell, Sullivan, and Baldwin previously introduced this legislation during the 118^th Congress. Sen. Cruz took to the floor requesting unanimous consent to pass this legislation in September of 2023, but passage of the bill was blocked by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

The most recent extended government shutdown started in December of 2018, lasting 34 days. During that partial shutdown, DoD had already been funded under supplemental appropriations, but DHS was not. As a result, DoD military personnel were paid during the shutdown, but Coast Guard personnel, who continued to work, did not receive pay. Despite lack of pay and allowances, Coast Guard members continued to serve the nation at home and abroad, in some cases Coast Guard personnel were even working alongside DoD members on shared missions in conflict zones without pay. 

While these brave men and women protected our coasts, facilitated maritime trade and transportation, conducted search and rescue, protected fisheries and living marine resources, and patrolled our maritime borders to conduct migrant and drug interdiction; their families were forced to resort to food pantries and struggled to pay for housing.

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