04.08.11

Cantwell: Pay Our Troops During a Shutdown

Sen. Cantwell Works to Prevent Interruption of Pay for Military Personnel

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Military personnel would be paid without interruption during a possible government shutdown, under a bill cosponsored Friday by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

“Military personnel should be paid on time, no matter what,” Senator Cantwell said. “The men and women who protect our freedom shouldn’t have to worry about buying groceries and paying their rent. This bill would ensure that more than 70,000 military employees in Washington state would get the pay checks they’ve earned.”

Cantwell backed the bipartisan Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011, which would ensure on time pay for active duty military and reserve components during a funding gap caused by a government shutdown. It also would allow the Secretary of Defense to continue payments to civilian employees as needed to support soldiers.

Washington state has the 6th highest amount of military personnel in the country, with 74,141 military and civilian employees, according to the Department of Defense. Of these, 46,161 are active duty military and 27,980 are civilian employees.

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