WASHINGTON (AP) — government shutdown places a heavy mental burden on national military familiesI continue to be in a situation where I don’t know if I will receive my paycheck every week.
Alicia Blevins, whose husband is a Marine, said she plans to see a therapist, mainly because of her anxiety.
“I feel like I don’t have the means to deal with this,” said Blevins, 33, who lives at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base near the North Carolina coast. “I don’t want to put everything on my husband. He has his own subordinates. He’s strong enough to handle it.”
Alicia Blevins and her Marine husband in an undated photo taken at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia (Alicia Blevins, Associated Press)
Even with the Trump administration, found a way to pay the military There have been two shutdowns since the government shutdown began on October 1, and the process has been fraught with anxiety for many Americans in uniform and their loved ones. In both cases they were left hanging until the last moment.
Four days before paychecks were scheduled to be paid on Oct. 15, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to “use all available funds” to pay U.S. troops. As the next payday approaches Friday, the White House confirmed on Wednesday That means you found the money.
The Trump administration plans to move about $5.3 billion from various accounts, of which about $2.5 billion will come from the accounts. President Trump’s huge tax and spending cuts bill It was signed into law this summer.
But the scramble for soldiers’ pay in Washington won’t last long.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the government’s means of compensating the military will soon run out and by Nov. 15, the military will “not be able to pay its salaries.”
Jennifer Bittner serves lunch to children at her home in Pflugerville, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Bittner is concerned that the government shutdown will affect her husband’s Army pay and, in turn, her ability to cover her children’s medical expenses. (AP Photo/Jack Meyer)
“We are not being thought of.”
This uncertainty is fueling resentment among the families of about 2 million active duty military, National Guard and Reserve personnel. There is a common refrain that the military is being used as pawns.
But Jennifer Bittner, whose husband is an Army officer, says that gives too much credit to Congress.
“You have to feel like you’re going to be used as a pawn,” said Bittner, 43, of Austin, Texas. “And we’re not even considered at all.”
Bittner’s 6-year-old daughter currently uses three inhalers because she has high-risk asthma, chronic lung disease, and colds. The pharmacy requires a copay of $38 per device. Bittner’s severely autistic son requires diapers that cost $200 a month, and he sometimes has to negotiate with military insurance to cover the cost.
She worries about these expenses as well as the mortgage and groceries for her family of five.
“It’s stressful and mentally and sometimes physically exhausting,” Bittner said of the possibility that her husband might not receive a paycheck, noting that other members of Congress still receive paychecks.
Many active duty soldiers live paycheck to paycheck and survive on just one income. Delia Johnson, chief operating officer of the nonprofit Military Family Advisory Network, said the closures have compounded the financial burden many families face, even if their salaries are being paid.
Johnson said the Oct. 15 paycheck was deposited early and directly into many people’s bank accounts several days after it normally would have, disrupting their ability to pay their bills on time and forcing some to pay late fees or rack up debt. Active-duty soldiers may also be dealing with the added cost of moving from one base to another, which occurs in about 400,000 military households each year, she said.
Many military spouses also lose their jobs due to relocation or are underemployed due to frequent transfers, Johnson said. Reimbursements for moving expenses have been suspended for many businesses during the shutdown, but not all expenses have been reimbursed.
Reservists lose weekend training allowance
Military advocates say monthly weekend training for many reservists will also be canceled, eliminating a portion of their paychecks, which can amount to hundreds of dollars each month. In addition to helping with mortgages and other bills, training funds are also used by some reservists to cover military health insurance premiums, said John Hashem, executive director of the American Reserve Organization, an advocacy group.
“People are counting on that money,” Hashem said of the training allowance. “The way this is expanding now, it’s almost as if this service is being taken for granted.”
The Reserve organization, along with others, urged Congressional leaders in a letter Tuesday to pass pay measures for National Guard and Reserve personnel.
With financial strains exacerbated by the shutdown, the Military Families Advisory Network launched an emergency grocery assistance program this month. The nonprofit said 50,000 military families had registered within 72 hours.
Chief marketing officer Missy Hunter said the food boxes were assembled by grocery and logistics company Umoja Health in a Houston warehouse and contained everything from noodles and spaghetti sauce to pancake mix and syrup.
Blevins said she and her husband received the box and it brought some peace of mind. Meanwhile, her husband is still at work and comes home exhausted and with “long stares,” she said.
The couple drained their savings and moved from Camp Pendleton, California, to North Carolina in September. They are still waiting on a refund of about $9,000.
“We’re constantly checking the news,” Blevins said. “And all I see on my Facebook feed is, ‘It’s the Democrats’ fault. It’s the Republicans’ fault.'” So I just thought, can’t we just stop playing the blame game and solve this problem? ”
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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
