Washington, April 08: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells American soldiers in Iraq that the possible shutdown of the US government due to a budget impasse may result in delayed pay checks to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“If the government shuts down from April 8 to 15, troops would get half their pay in the checks received on April 15. If the government were to stay shut down until April 30, troops would miss a whole check,” Gates told American troops in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The United States federal government faces a potential shutdown as the White House and Congressional lawmakers have failed to reach an agreement over the country’s budget cuts on Wednesday.
“But you all know as well as I do that a lot of these young troops live pretty much paycheck to paycheck,” Gates later told reporters.
“And when I start to think about the inconveniences it’s going to cost these kids and a lot of their families, even half a paycheck delayed can be a problem for them. So I hope they work this whole thing out,” he added.
“As a historian, it always occurred to me that the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first,” he said.
However, he noted, when the government starts up again, the troops would receive the wages they are owed.
American troops are generally paid on the first and the 15th of each month.
The US government will shut down on Saturday if the Democratic president and the Republican-controlled Congress fail to reach a compromise for a new budget plan by the end of April 8.
An estimated USD 33 billion in cuts is reportedly being negotiated between the Democrats and the Republicans in the US Congress.
Major domestic policy differences between Democratic and Republican lawmakers are reportedly keeping them from reaching a budget agreement to avert a shutdown.
——–Agencies