The American people often forget that the Coast Guard is one of our nation’s armed services. Its members wear the uniform, serve under military discipline, and perform missions that are as dangerous and vital as anything carried out by the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps. They patrol our coasts, interdict narcotics, save lives at sea, enforce maritime law, and protect our ports. Their motto is “Semper Paratus” — Always Ready. And they live up to it every single day. 

Most people don’t realize the Coast Guard does not sit under the Department of Defense. Since 2003, it has been housed within the Department of Homeland Security. That distinction matters most when Washington descends into its ritual of government shutdowns. Because DHS appropriations lapse, the Coast Guard falls into a different bucket than the other armed services. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines may still see their paychecks during a shutdown because of how the Defense Department is funded. Coast Guardsmen often do not. 

That means the young Coast Guard petty officer boarding a freighter tonight to search for drugs is doing so without knowing when his next paycheck will arrive. It means the Coast Guard rescue swimmer lowering herself into heavy seas to save a fisherman’s life will be expected to go home afterward and tell her family they might not be able to cover rent on time. It means an entire armed service of the United States is asked to keep standing the watch with no guarantee of pay until Congress decides to do its job. 

During the 2018–2019 government shutdown, Coast Guard members missed paychecks for weeks even as they continued operating, with predictable impact. Families lined up at food banks. Coast Guard spouses shared tips online about how to stretch grocery dollars or negotiate with landlords. Some members had to plead with creditors to hold off until back pay arrived. While every shutdown creates hardship across the government, there is something especially galling about asking uniformed service members to keep risking their lives for free. 

For junior Coast Guardsmen, the pain is sharpest. Enlisted personnel at the lower ranks already live on tight budgets. Missing a often creates a crisis. Mortgage payments, car loans, child care, groceries — these do not pause because Congress cannot keep the government funded. We speak about supporting our troops, but here is a test that proves whether those words mean anything. If we truly honor military service, we cannot allow a situation where one branch of the armed forces is left to shoulder the burden of political dysfunction with empty wallets. 

This is both a fairness issue and a readiness issue. Coast Guard missions do not stop for a shutdown. Drug smugglers will not pause their operations. Storms will still batter our coasts. Boaters will still need to be rescued. The American people still rely on the Coast Guard to secure our maritime borders and protect lives at sea. If the men and women of the Coast Guard are distracted by financial stress or forced to take second jobs just to pay the bills, their ability to remain “Always Ready” is diminished. That hurts national security, commerce, and public safety. 

The solution is straightforward. Congress should pass legislation guaranteeing that Coast Guard pay is treated the same as Department of Defense pay during a shutdown. Several bills have been introduced over the years to close this gap, but none have made it all the way through. Each time we hit another shutdown cycle, Coast Guard families are left in limbo. No member of the armed forces should be left unpaid while standing watch for the nation. 

Some will argue that back pay is guaranteed once appropriations are restored. That is true under current law, but it misses the point. Telling a family living paycheck to paycheck that they will eventually get reimbursed does nothing to solve the fact that the rent is due today. Telling a young petty officer that his service will be recognized at some later date does nothing to ease the stress of buying groceries this week. Promises of future payment are not the same as a steady paycheck, and they do not erase the insult of being asked to serve without pay. 

The Coast Guard has earned better from the country it serves. Its people do not choose when to respond. They do not stop at the waterline and ask if Congress has passed a budget. They go when called, every time. They deserve the assurance that when they come home, they can take care of their families with dignity. It is time for lawmakers to fix this problem once and for all. The Coast Guard should never again be forced to serve in silence while waiting to be paid. 

Always Ready should not mean Always Forgotten.