SecDef: Sorry Troops, Government Shutdown Delays Pay
As John Boehner cries for America in these trying times on the Hill, it looks like a government shutdown will mean that US troops serving overseas will only get half their pay (or maybe even less) until a later date. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Iraq today, and had to break the news to servicemembers. The Times breaks down what a shutdown would mean for their pay:
If the government shuts down from Friday for a week, troops would receive half their pay in the checks received on the 15th of the month. If the government were to stay shut down until April 30, Mr. Gates said, troops would miss a whole check. Troops are paid on the 15th and last day of each month.
That seems totally fair. As long as the people who get paid lots of money to vote to send troops into harm's way get paid to do so, then we're all set, right?
