Shutdown fears move House Republicans to protect military paychecks

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are moving to protect U.S. service members’ paychecks in the event of a partial government shutdown.

Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., is re-introducing her Pay Our Troops Act on Thursday, with support from at least 20 fellow House lawmakers – 16 Republicans and four Democrats.

It comes a day after more than a dozen House GOP lawmakers helped defeat Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a partial government shutdown by extending the current fiscal year’s funding levels through March, known as a continuing resolution (CR). 

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Rep. Jen Kiggans is introducing a bill to ensure military service members and civilian employees are paid in the event of a government shutdown. (Getty Images)

The Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-held Senate must come to some agreement on federal funding by Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown weeks before Election Day.

“It’s really important that we send that message to our military men and women, that they will receive a paycheck even with all the talk and uncertainty about funding the government,” Kiggans, herself a veteran, emphasized to Fox News Digital.

Her previous iteration of the bill, which netted 118 co-sponsors, was introduced in late September 2023 – when Congress was similarly barreling toward a partial government shutdown with no agreement in sight until the 11th hour.

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Johnson’s bill would also have included the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which adds a proof of citizenship requirement to the voter registration process – a bill Democratic leaders have deemed a nonstarter.

Three Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for his plan, while 14 Republicans who were mainly opposed to a CR on principle helped defeat it.

The legislation comes after Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a government shutdown failed. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Johnson, R-La., however, has consistently vowed not to let the government shut down. 

But Kiggans’ bill is a sign that Republicans are growing anxious about the possibility of federal programs stalling and potentially thousands of workers being furloughed.

The legislation would extend pay for all service branches, including the Coast Guard, which Kiggans said had been left out of military funding protections in past shutdowns.

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“It also covers for some defense contractors and civilians that are also essential to military service,” she said. “It just provides that reassurance we don’t need our military families to be worried about [whether they are] going to get a paycheck or not.”

Asked whether the Wednesday vote made her more nervous about the prospect of a shutdown, Kiggans said there was “a lot of uncertainty in this Congress.”

“I am disappointed that we weren’t able to pass the funding bills in a timely manner. I think the American public would agree,” Kiggans said.

She said she would have preferred spending some of the August recess working on the 12 appropriations bills that Congress must pass every year rather than scramble for more time with a CR.

“Am I surprised it didn’t pass? Well it’s – I wish it was different, and we had passed it,” Kiggans said of Johnson’s conservative CR, which the speaker’s allies hoped would be a strong opening salvo in the House’s negotiations with the Senate.

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“But we’ll have to continue to work, and hopefully we’ll get something passed soon,” Kiggans said.

She said her office made Johnson aware that her bill was being prepared but cautioned the legislation would likely not be deployed for a House-wide vote unless a shutdown was imminent.

“That’s my gut instinct, is that they probably will not bring it to the floor unless we are really faced with the reality of that,” Kiggans said.