UPDATE: The ‘Pay Our Military Act’ was signed by President Obama on Monday night and will go into effect. Individuals should be advised that this act only covers military pay. Additional military services are still impacted by the shutdown and will operate accordingly. This means that the stateside commissaries will be closed, though many will be open today to sell perishables. Overseas commissaries should remain open. The CDC and MWR programs will also be impacted. Please be sure to check with your individual installation for updates on what services will be open and what services will be temporarily closed.
The Senate has just passed bill H.R. 3210, also known as the ‘Pay Our Military Act’ initially introduced by House Republicans. This bill ensures that the military will receive pay in the event of a government shutdown.
This bill also ensures pay for those civilian personnel of the DoD (and the Department of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) whom the Secretary concerned determines are providing support to members of the Armed Forces.
According to the bill, funds will be made available to this act until whichever event occurs first: ‘(1) the enactment into law of an appropriation (including a continuing appropriation) for any purpose for which amounts are made available in section 2; (2) the enactment into law of the applicable regular or continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any appropriation for such purpose; or (3) January 1, 2015.’
September 30, 2013: A bill drafted by House Republicans that ensures members of the US military will continue to be paid in the event of a government shutdown passed in the House of Representatives on Sunday.
Democrats backed the bill but noted their hesitancy that it ignores other federal workers who would be laid off in the case of a government shutdown.
The bill will now head to the Senate when it convenes at 2:00PM EST today.