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Military

Will Military Families Get Paid If There's A Government Shutdown?

The government is set to shutdown at midnight September 30, if Congress and the president can't figure out a way to agree to a budget. Military families, many of whom live paycheck-to-paycheck, are concerned a government shutdown would mean no pay at all.

The military will still get their paychecks...eventually. John Cooney, who worked in the Reagan White House Office of Management and Budget, told Politico:

“You will be paid, just not on time."

According to the Military Times, the government will deposit October 1 paychecks into service members' bank accounts before midnight September 30, if a government shutdown is anticipated.

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However...

Whether service members receive their mid-month checks will depend on how long a government shutdown continues.

Service members won’t be paid again after Oct. 1 until Congress provides funding, and they also won’t receive their normal mid-month checks unless the funding dispute is resolved by about Oct. 9, because of the time it takes to process the payroll.
Stars and Stripes reports Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter sent out a memo Monday night to Department of Defense employees. The memo stated that the White House Office of Management and Budget had "directed the Pentagon update its plans for a shutdown."

Carter also wrote in the memo:

Military members and civilians who work through the shutdown, should it happen, will receive back pay.

What do you think of the looming government shutdown? Does your family have a plan in place to deal with late paychecks? Have your say in our comments section!