The White House warns that active military members would work without pay during a standstill

WASHINGTON — The White House is warning that a partial government shutdown would mean 1.3 million active-duty military personnel would have to continue working without paychecks and hundreds of thousands of Pentagon employees would face furloughs.

The Biden administration on Tuesday sharply criticized what it is now calling an “extreme Republican shutdown,” claiming it would undermine national security.

According to September 2022 figures, numerous states are home to vast numbers of troops who would work without pay until after the shutdown, including Virginia, with 129,400; North Carolina with 95,900; Florida with 66,900; Georgia with 63,800; and Washington with 62,100.

On Thursday, the Republican-led US House of Representatives failed for the third time to begin debate on the $826 billion defense spending bill. Another procedural vote on a multi-bill package was expected Tuesday evening as members returned from the weekend.

“Nobody joins the military to get prosperous. You join because you love your country. They want to serve and are willing to do so at some risk. But you have every expectation that the government will be able to pay a fair wage and provide for your family,” John Kirby, spokesman for the government’s National Security Council, said in a call with reporters on Tuesday.

“When [service members] “When they don’t get their paychecks, utility bills, water bills, rent, mortgages, grocery bills, it all comes to the great detriment of these young men and women,” he continued. “So in total, more than 1.3 million could actually be in real financial trouble if they continue to show up to defend the rest of us.”

Military members would be paid retroactively after the end of a standoff, which could last hours, days or weeks.

Five GOP members voted against The rule Thursday that would have allowed the House to begin debating the defense spending bill and considering nearly 200 amendments.

The no votes included Andy Biggs of Arizona, Dan Bishop of North Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Montana. Arizona Rep. Eli Crane and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, both of whom favored moving forward earlier in the week, voted no.

Government closure on Saturday

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been unable to unite his party members on full-year budget legislation or even a short-term stopgap measure that would avoid a shutdown that would occur Saturday night without congressional action.

Far-right members of the conference want to further cut non-defense spending beyond an agreement McCarthy made with and signed by President Joe Biden Law. Some also want to remove any funding to Ukraine from a government financing agreement.

The fiscal year ends Saturday and McCarthy has only a slim lead in votes that he can afford to lose.

And any spending legislation or short-term deals to avoid a funding shortfall would have to be bipartisan enough to gain traction in the Democratic-led Senate.

If no agreement is reached before the end of the financial deadline of the year, other Parts that fall under the massive purview of the Defense Ministry will be affected, the government also warned.

Kirby said the Pentagon’s military recruiting programs, as well as the procurement and management of existing defense contracts, would be disrupted if the department’s civilian employees were furloughed.

“All of this would prove disruptive to our national security and our efforts to address the critical needs of the American people. And again, the reason is that these extreme Republicans in the House are essentially turning their backs on a bipartisan budget deal that they worked out with the president and that two-thirds of them voted for just a few months ago.”

According to Pentagon data Tuesday, the department employs a total of 804,422 civilian workers and about 430,000 could face furloughs.

McCarthy’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the possibility of troops working without pay or the Pentagon being furloughed.

The offices of Biggs, Bishop, Crane, Greene and Rosendale also did not respond.