A massive military footprint in Colorado Springs means a lot of locals may not get paid starting Wednesday, marking the first missed federal payday since the beginning of the government shutdown.
Congress has voted to continue pay for service members in previous shutdowns. While legislation has been introduced to pay the military this time as well, it remains in committee. Additionally, Speaker Mike Johnson has ruled out the House taking up such a vote.
However, President Donald Trump has directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to get service members paid Wednesday.
Reuters reported last week that legislative aides said legislation to continue paying members of the military would have to pass by Monday, Oct. 13, in order for that to happen. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that in order for members of the military to continue getting paid, other federal workers would have to forgo their own pay.
The Coast Guard said Monday that its members will indeed be paid Wednesday. Still, confusion over if it will actually happen — and if it will happen for other branches of the military — remains.
A Colorado Springs woman whose husband is active duty National Guard asked only to be identified by her first initial, K, for fear of speaking out against the shutdown.
“(I’ve) felt horrible for government workers who are not military and aren't covered,” K said regarding past funding lapses. “We're getting a taste of what they feel every single time there's a government shutdown.”
K said her family has enough in savings to cover the loss of two pay periods before needing to resort to credit cards. Others are not so fortunate, she said. Through local military spouse forums, she has seen families worried about paying rent, about affording groceries or Halloween costumes for their children.
“There’s a lot of panic,” she said. “It starts to affect your mental health. It affects your stress levels. It affects the behavior at home as you start to worry about ‘How are we going to pay these bills?’”
El Paso County lists relief options for federal workers as the absent payday draws near. Colorado Springs Utilities are offering payment extensions for electricity and water bills. Local food bank Care and Share is encouraging service members to use their services as well.
The Home Front Military Network specifically works with emergency financial assistance for service members and veterans. Executive Director Kate Hatten said her office has seen a notable uptick in active duty service members reaching out for aid.
“We’re trying to get them to be proactive,” Hatten said. “Reaching out to their landlords, for example, or their lenders or their mortgage company … to explain the situation and see if those lenders will work with them.”
Some financial institutions are offering no-interest loans to service members during the shutdown. USAA, for example, said it has already offered at least $150 million in such loans to about 45,000 service members nationwide. K said she has encountered some families worried about the credit implications of taking on such loans.
The online forums K visits have been filled with infighting, she said. Spouses are arguing over who deserves the political blame for this shutdown. At the same time, she has seen families helping each other, trading food and sharing resources.
“If the government's not going to take care of us, then we're going to have to look out for each other and come together as a community,” she said, “and make sure that we're all able to buy the food and the clothes and the diapers and the formula and the pet food that we need.”
