Coast Guard Head Says It’s “Unacceptable” Service Members Must Rely on Donations During Shutdown
Photos by Justin Sullivan/Getty
As the partial government shutdown slogs into its fifth week, Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz, head of the U.S. Coast Guard, shared a video via Twitter commending his service members’ dedication while they work without pay. Schultz addressed members of the Coast Guard, saying that he and their senior leadership, along with the entire American public, “stand in awe of your continued dedication to duty and resilience of that and your families.”
“We’re five plus weeks into the anxiety and stress of this government lapse and your non-pay,” he continued. “You as members of the armed forces should not be expected to shoulder this burden.”
Coast Guard service members did not receive their paychecks on Jan. 15, which the commandant said in an earlier statement is “the first time in our Nation’s history that servicemembers in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations.”
Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled paycheck. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our Nation’s history that servicemembers in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in appropriations. Read more: https://t.co/5tLzGhK2ntpic.twitter.com/J2o00zWm0k
— Admiral Karl Schultz (@ComdtUSCG) January 15, 2019