Local Military Families Prep for Shutdown, Dock in Military Pay

As a midnight deadline moves the federal government closer to a shutdown, local families of military members are worrying how a delay in pay would hurt them.

According to the Department of Defense, “If the government shuts down due to the absence of funding, the DoD will have no funds to pay military members or civilian employees for the days during which the government is shut down."

Active duty service members still must report for work. However, in the event of a shutdown their pay would be delayed until funding is restored. Because members of the military get paid through direct deposit, on a bi-weekly basis, payments received on April 15 will only pay through April 7 should a shutdown last until then.

"It's a very scary thing," said Susan Ippolito, a Calverton resident and mother to an active Marine, Paul Ippolito, who is currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

Ipplito added that her younger son, Tyrell, took a test on Wednesday to enter the armed services. She said she was unsure if the current situation has affected his decision.

"Paul is kind of taken care of - he is single and has no kids," she said. "But I think of people with families back home, holding down what they need to do to get by. And I think down the road, what if Paul had a family to take care of? A lot of military families are living paycheck to paycheck, just like everybody else. Meanwhile, Congressmen are still going to be getting their salary. It's very sad."

Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton stated on Friday that he would be donating his daily pay (after taxes, roughly $290) to a local charity, "that serves those who will be hurt by the draconian cuts my Republican colleagues offer."

Bob Meyer, also a Calverton resident and stepfather to an active member of the Army, Emily Connors - who has been stationed in Afghanistan and is coming home in about 10 days - wasn't buying the charity. 

"The Democrats won't cut spending on things that need to be cut," he said on Friday. National news outlets have reported that clauses - called riders - restricting funding on Planned Parenthood, and cutting Environmental Protection Agency oversight have been a major stalling point between House Republicans and Democrats. 

"And they're going to force a shutdown just like they did in 1995," Meyer said. "Everybody knows we can't be on the road to ruin the Democrats have put us on."

Mary Meyer, Connors' mother, called the political stand-off "outrageous," adding that from a personal standpoint, she sympathized with families relying on the paychecks as well. She said she was unsure if her daughter even knew if a dock in pay could be imminent.

"Emily is in a different situation than those who have spouses and children," she said. "When a husband or wife is deployed, they're literally thousands of miles away. Often times they're just hoping life is continuing on as normal at home.

"My daughter told me, when she was in the middle of security issues over there, she just wants to know that everything is OK. She wants to know her brother is going to football practice, or her sister is going to girl scouts. I think it's her way of keeping normalcy while everything is not normal over there."