A Republican lawmaker in the House introduced a bill that would continue paychecks for military members even in the case of a government shutdown, hoping to pass the legislation before federal funding is set to lapse on Oct. 1.
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) filed the Pay Our Troops Act on Thursday, seeking to ensure military members are still paid even if the defense spending bill is not finalized by Congress. The bill mirrors similar legislation that was passed ahead of the 2013 government shutdown to ensure federal funds were appropriated to pay members of the Armed Forces.
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“We’re still working to avoid a government shutdown. That’s something that really no one wants. So, we will continue to prioritize that,” Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, told the Washington Examiner. “That’s why we introduced this bill to pay our troops. It just reassures that they will be paid. They’re already struggling financially with what’s been going on in the economy, and the last thing they need to worry about is if they’re going to get a paycheck or not.”
The bill would seek to make funds available to provide pay for members of the Armed Forces, including the Coast Guard, as well as DOD civilian employees and contractors whose duties are deemed to be crucial “to the mission execution, well-being, and readiness of the Armed Forces,” according to Kiggans’s office.
Kiggans filed the bill on Thursday and said she would work on shoring up support among other lawmakers to push the legislation through the House next week.
The legislation comes as the government inches closer to a shutdown after spending talks stalled earlier this week in the lower chamber. House Republicans sank a procedural vote on the annual defense spending bill for the second time in one week due to disagreements over a continuing resolution proposal, sending GOP leaders back to the drawing board on moving forward with appropriations.
Lawmakers unveiled a new plan to advance single-subject appropriations bills instead of the continuing resolution proposal offered by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) Tuesday evening, hoping to spark movement on spending legislation just nine days before the shutdown deadline.
The plan would set the appropriations topline number at about $1.526 trillion without rescissions, which is the same amount that was offered by McCarthy on Wednesday. The proposal would include a combined rule that advances four appropriations bills at once, teeing them up for votes sometime next week.
However, even if the plan manages to work, it won’t get them any closer to avoiding a government shutdown as the bills aren’t likely to go anywhere in the Democratic-led Senate, making a government shutdown all the more likely. Government funding is set to lapse on Oct. 1 if a spending agreement is not finalized, giving lawmakers just nine days until a shutdown takes place.
If Congress can’t pass all 12 of its bills before the end of the month, lawmakers will typically agree to a continuing resolution that allows the government to operate at the same spending levels until a new agreement is made, something conservatives say is out of the question altogether.
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However, some centrist Republicans have floated a backup plan to work with Democrats on filing a discharge petition to put a continuing resolution on the floor in an attempt to avert a government shutdown. If all Democrats agreed to the idea, only five Republicans would need to sign on to the effort, something Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) says is a possibility.
“If there is not going to be a CR coming out of the House Republican caucus, then I will move forward with a discharge petition,” Lawler said on Thursday.
