Statement on Government Shutdown Ending

by Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO, Blue Star Families

While this historic shutdown is over, the recovery is just beginning for military families who endured 43 days of financial and emotional strain – and the threat of another shutdown looms when funding expires again in January. Military families, many of whom already struggle to make ends meet, should never have to worry that their next paycheck will be delayed or used as leverage in political negotiations.

But the harm goes far beyond missed paychecks. Medicine shortages, delayed prescriptions, and canceled appointments disrupted routine healthcare and added to families’ existing stress. Training and professional education were postponed, blocking career progression and weakening readiness pipelines. Equipment repairs stalled. Moves froze mid-stream, leaving families without housing stability. One in four military families already suffering from food insecurity fell deeper into hardship as support services strained or stalled. 

Shutdowns, continuing resolutions, and the constant threat of another funding lapse place relentless strain on military order, discipline, and readiness. When Congress fails to fund the government, service members and their families bear the consequences. Protecting military families is essential to our nation’s security and readiness. We call on Congress to enact fiscal year budgets into law, but in the worst scenario where they do not, at least pass the Pay Our Troops Act to avoid the most dire consequences.

Throughout the shutdown, the scale of need was unmistakable. Blue Star Families helped more than 7,000 families access over 40,000 pounds of food and $46,000 in gift cards so they could keep groceries on the table; connected more than 10,000 families with critical services and resources from our partners; hosted nearly 250 senior nonprofit leaders who benefitted from our White Oak “Ground Truth” sessions to better support their own communities. This level of need reveals how far-reaching the shutdown’s damage was and still is as some services take time to fully restart even after funding is restored.

Our service members defend this nation every day; ensuring military families have the stability and security they’ve earned is the least we can do, and our fight for them continues.