(SitNews) - Concerned about U.S. Coast Guard forces losing a paycheck in the partial government shutdown, the Washington Examiner reported President Trump personally urged his team to find a solution that would allow the administration to make December's $75 million payroll.

Trump is reported by the Washington Examiner to have stepped in last Wednesday, calling on top lawyers and staffers to determine if the Coast Guard could make payroll despite being included in the shutdown.

The shutdown has impacted about 25 percent of the government which included the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the United States Coast Guard.  Other military personnel are housed under the U.S. Department of Defense and they will receive paychecks and are not included in the shutdown as their appropriations were approved earlier by Congress.

At the President's urging according to the Washington Examiner, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Department of Home Land Security and the Coast Guard determined that the rules governing pay to Coast Guard forces requires it be made through the end of the year. It was reported lawyers said that unused funding could be tapped for pay. The OMB had a bit more than the needed $75 million left over from its past continuing resolution appropriation, enough to make this month’s last USCG payroll check.

The U.S. Congress convenes its annual session on January 3 each year unless provisions are made to begin on a different day.

The U.S. House of Representatives has averaged 138 "legislative days" a year since 2001, according to records kept by the Library of Congress. That's about one day of work every three days, or fewer than three days a week. The U.S. Senate will be in session about the same amount or a few days more. If you're an ordinary American worker with two weeks of vacation and federal holidays off, you're likely clocking in around 240 days a year at the office.

The Coast Guard’s All Hands blog answered some frequently asked questions on December 28, 2018: 

• "Will Coast Guard members get paid on Dec. 31, 2018?

  Yes, the Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Coast Guard have identified a way to pay our military workforce on Dec. 31, 2018. This one-time action applies to military members that served on active duty in the month of December and those reserve military members that drilled prior to the lapse in appropriation."

  "If you were an active duty military member in December, then you will receive your monthly paycheck on Dec. 31, 2018. That paycheck will include all of the normal pay and allowance benefits (e.g. basic pay, BAH, BAS, etc.)."
  
  "If you were a reservist that served on active duty during the month of December, you will also receive your monthly paycheck on Dec. 31, 2018 and it will include all of your normal pay and allowance entitlements."

  "Finally, if you were a reservist that conducted reserve training prior to Dec. 21, 2018, then you will receive the appropriate pay and allowance entitlements on Dec. 31, 2018."

• "Will I get paid on Jan. 15?

This approval only covers the Dec. 31, 2018 paycheck. It does not guarantee a paycheck on Jan. 15, 2019. Meeting active duty and reserve military payroll for January 2019 will require a fiscal year 2019 appropriation, a continuing resolution, or passage of an alternative measure."

• "Why the change from earlier guidance that indicated the Coast Guard military members would not be paid on Dec. 31?

Generally, the Coast Guard lacks the authority to pay its members during a lapse in appropriations. The circumstances of this lapse are unique because of the timeline of the lapse in relation to the military pay process. Ultimately, extensive research and legal analysis between the Coast Guard, DHS, and OMB determined the Coast Guard has the authority to execute the remainder of pay and allowances for December."

• "Will retirees get paid?

Retirees will get paid Dec. 31. However if this lapse in appropriations continues into February, they may not get paid their future installments. VA payments should not be affected by this lapse in appropriations."

Those who use bank payroll direct deposit services may not see this deposit credited in their accounts until January 3, 2019. Some banks do not credit government payroll deposits to accounts on holidays or Saturdays-Sundays inclusive of the 1st day of the month even though the payroll deposit transfers to the banks are clearly noted by the government "to be deposited on or before the 1st".

 

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