BALTIMORE — The ongoing government shutdown is forcing more than 33,000 National Guard members to work without paychecks, creating financial hardship and threatening national security readiness.
According to the National Guard Association of the United States, dual status technicians and essential civilian employees continue reporting for duty despite not receiving pay during the shutdown.
The financial impact extends beyond missed paychecks, creating significant training delays that compromise the Guard's ability to respond to emergencies, according to the association's president.
"It's weapons qualification. It's their military occupational specialty, training in their craft, so to speak. So we only have 39 days a year to train as reservists. So you take, say you take 4 days out of that 39, now you're already down to that," Maj. Gen. Francis McGinn (Ret.) said.
McGinn, who serves as president of the National Guard Association of the United States, expects the delayed training will eventually be completed. However, he warns the postponements are already impacting guardsmen's readiness to respond to emergencies.
The National Guard plays a crucial role in disaster response, homeland security, and supporting federal missions during times of crisis.
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