LEILA FADEL, HOST:
After a last-minute intervention by the Trump administration, troops didn't miss a paycheck yesterday.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The fix did not resolve the underlying anxiety, though, felt by military families as the government shutdown continues.
FADEL: Yeah. For more, we turn to Steve Walsh with WHRO. He covers the military in Norfolk, Virginia. Steve, welcome to the program.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: Hi, Leila.
FADEL: So take us through what's happening. So paychecks for active-duty military did go out.
WALSH: It looks like they did, though it was touch-and-go.
FADEL: OK.
WALSH: Normally, during a government shutdown, lawmakers pass legislation to keep the paychecks flowing for active-duty military who have to show up for work manning bases and ships around the globe. The military has never missed a paycheck during a shutdown. Over the weekend, President Trump announced his administration would move $6.5 billion in unused research funds to make payroll. Wednesday, troops report paychecks hitting their accounts.
FADEL: OK. So checks cleared on Wednesday. Does that fix the problem, at least for now?
WALSH: Not really. Unemployment is an issue for military spouses since they move around the country so often. The Biden administration had encouraged spouses to take jobs with the federal government, including at their local base. Now those spouses are not being paid, along with other federal civilian workers, meaning their families are down a paycheck. The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society reports that a father of five couldn't buy groceries and approached them Friday for an emergency loan. A military spouse called because she faced eviction. Overall, the group has provided over 200 loans since October 1, which is an enormous spike for them.
Given the run on food pantries that cater to military families, some are forced to close early, since the shelves are empty. The Armed Services YMCA operates 22 food banks near military installations. They had seen a 30% jump in demand over the last couple of weeks. I dropped by their pantry in Virginia Beach yesterday. Given all the uncertainty, a military spouse with a 10-week-old child, who asked not to be identified, says she is worried that she won't be able to pay for her son's autism treatment.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Seeing that come through was a big relief. And as a family, we have four kids. It's a concern for us. And so it was kind of nerve-racking.
FADEL: OK. So one spouse is impacted, even if the military troops, active-duty troops, get their paycheck. Steve, are there other factors explaining this surge in military families seeking services?
WALSH: Well, yeah. The timing is particularly bad. Every year, over 400,000 military families pick up and move across the country or around the world. Military pays for the move, but Blue Star Families says the average family incurs about $8,000 of moving expenses that are not picked up by the federal government - everything from enrolling kids in a new school to replacing broken furniture. At the Armed Services Y in Virginia, I talked to a Navy spouse, Morley Proctor, who moved from Tennessee six months ago. The Navy hasn't reimbursed the couple for the 20 days when they were living in a motel.
MORLEY PROCTOR: And I've been doing DoorDash on the side to kind of help fill that gap, which is kind of rough right now, too, you know, 'cause everybody else around is in the same kind of position.
WALSH: The next paycheck is due at the end of the month. Families are worried it may not happen on time.
FADEL: Steve Walsh with member station WHRO in Norfolk, Virginia. Thank you, Steve.
WALSH: Thanks, Leila. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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