--- title: Here’s the Note Coast Guard Members Got On Their First Day Without Pay description: Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl L. Schultz acknowledged the strain the gap in pay places on servicemen and women amid the shutdown. canonical: https://time.com/5503625/coast-guard-shutdown-missed-paycheck/ author: Tara Law article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-15T22:04:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:20:08.168Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here’s the Note Coast Guard Members Got on Their First-Ever Day Without Pay og:description: It's the first time in history that American military service members have not been paid during a shutdown og:url: https://time.com/5503625/coast-guard-shutdown-missed-paycheck/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt505421243d70f852/69894355db2987079d261a55/coast-guard.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: (Photo by DON EMMERT / AFP) og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s the Note Coast Guard Members Got on Their First-Ever Day Without Pay twitter:description: It's the first time in history that American military service members have not been paid during a shutdown twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt505421243d70f852/69894355db2987079d261a55/coast-guard.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s the Note Coast Guard Members Got on Their First-Ever Day Without Pay > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b804de45-5c0f-46c2-9f3f-8ac229de1249&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Why Trump Is Dragging Out the Shutdown — Even Though It's Unpopular [Watch (HLS stream): Why Trump Is Dragging Out the Shutdown — Even Though It's Unpopular](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ftjJTqAc.m3u8) (1:15)  _Published 2019-01-07. The first rule of government shutdowns: blame the other side._  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Jan 15, 2019 10:04 PM UTC The first rule of government shutdowns: blame the other side.  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Jan 15, 2019 10:04 PM UTC The [partial government shutdown](http://time.com/5502014/partial-government-shutdown-solutions/) reached another uncomfortable milestone Tuesday when members of the U.S. Coast Guard missed a paycheck – the first time American military service members have ever not been paid during a shutdown. [In a letter](https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Portals/10/2019%5Fbudget/CCG%5FFundingLapseEmail%5F20190108%5Fv1.pdf?ver=2019-01-15-132940-603) addressed to more than 40,000 active duty guardsmen and guardswomen on the day of their first missed paycheck, Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl L. Schultz acknowledged the strain the gap in pay places on them. “I recognize the anxiety and uncertainty this situation places on you and your family, and we are working closely with service organizations on your behalf,” Schultz wrote. He also wrote that “to the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our Nation’s history that servicemembers in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in government appropriations.” The Coast Guard is the only military branch directly impacted by the shutdown. While the other branches of the military are funded by the Department of Defense – which is fully funded – the Coast Guard is funded by the Department of Homeland Security. Guard members were paid through Dec. 31 via a “one-time action,” per the [Coast Guard’s official blog.](http://allhands.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/12/28/government-shutdown-faqs-cgma-loan-information/) About6,400 civilian workers were also furloughed, and 2,100 are working without pay, Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Scott McBride[ told the Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/01/09/coast-guard-families-told-they-can-have-garage-sales-cope-with-government-shutdown/?utm%5Fterm=.58194d9394e1)_._ In his letter, Schultz promised to keep Coast Guard service members updated about the shutdown. He noted that the civilian workforce had already missed one paycheck, adding “we are confronting this challenge together.” “The strength of our Service has, and always be, our people. You have proven time and again the ability to rise above adversity. Stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride. You are not, and will not, be forgotten.” Schultz also said that the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) has donated $15 million “to support our people in need.” The American Red Cross will distribute the funds to those who need it. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read the full letter here: > [](https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1085261266543882241) ## Transcript [00:00] The first rule of government shutdowns. Blame the [00:03] other side. The Democrats. The Democrats. Totally up [00:06] to the Democrats. Call it a Democrat shutdown. Call it [00:09] whatever you want. Since shutdowns became a political [00:12] tactic in the 1970's, presidents and congressional [00:15] leaders have attempted to shift the blame for a [00:17] shutdown onto their opponents. Now here's the bottom [00:19] line. Democrats are rooting for government shutdown. [00:22] But President Donald Trump upended that logic. In the [00:25] summer of 2018 he began saying that he would be [00:27] willing to shut down the government over immigration [00:29] policy. [ MUSIC ] So I would [00:33] have no problem doing a shutdown. It's time we had [00:38] proper border security. He went further as the [00:41] December shutdown loomed. I will be the one to shut it [00:44] down. I'm not gonna blame you for it. The last time you [00:46] shut it down it didn't work. I will take the mantel of [00:49] shutting down. That's created a problem for Trump [00:51] now that the government is partially shut down [00:52] however. Trump has tried to use the typical playbook [00:55] and blame Democrats. We're in a shutdown because [00:58] Democrats refuse to fund the border security. But [01:02] there are just too many old videos and tweets and him [01:04] saying he wanted to shut down the government for that [01:07] to work. 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