With U.S. Coast Guard members across the country potentially missing a paycheck next month due to the partial government shutdown, the United Way of Door County needs your help to ensure they are able to put food on their tables. Agencies under the Department of Homeland Security umbrella, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration, have all been impacted by the shutdown.
Democrats and Republicans are sparring over funding related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations after two people were killed in Minnesota. While some employees have been furloughed, essential personnel such as TSA agents and Coast Guard members have been working without pay.
This is the second time since October that paychecks for U.S. Coast Guard members have been threatened as a result of a government shutdown. The United Way of Door County began collecting gift cards in October to distribute to local Coast Guard families, but paychecks arrived in the nick of time. With no end in sight this time, Executive Director Amy Kohnle says the organization is asking for the community’s help to support local Coast Guard personnel.
You can drop off gift card donations at the United Way offices on Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. Kohnle says they are putting plans in motion to expand support for Coast Guard families if the partial government shutdown continues and another paycheck is missed.
According to CBS News, the Senate’s latest attempt to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the bill. Democrats and Republicans are both pointing fingers at each other for failing to reach a compromise.
Note: A previous version of this story noted that Coast Guard members were going to miss a paycheck this Friday (2/27). The United Way of Door County learned that they were paid, but paychecks next month are still in question due to the partial government shutdown. The story has been edited above to reflect this change.
