Coast Guard personnel are vital to national security, but they serve in the only military branch working without pay during government shutdowns. The Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Defense, oversees the Coast Guard. That means that during shutdowns Homeland Security employees — Coasties and others — are not paid. 

While the Coast Guard is not a part of DoD, its role involving national security on our nation's borders and around the world is equally vital to the work our military performs. The Coast Guard provides law enforcement, port security, and maritime and coastal safety, while too often operating outdated equipment and vessels. 

Organized under the Department of Homeland Security since 2003, more than 50,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard operate a multi-mission, interoperable fleet of 259 cutters, 200 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, and more than 1,600 boats and vessels. Previous government shutdowns caused members of the Coast Guard to temporarily lose pay and benefits, resulting in unnecessary financial burdens, and significant degradation in readiness. During the 2019 government shutdown, The American Legion stepped up and issued more than $1 million in expedited Temporary Financial Assistance grants to Coast Guard personnel and their families. 

The American Legion believes that the Coast Guard's mission is essential to national security, and its personnel should never go without pay. H.R.2693 - the Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2023 would make appropriations for Coast Guard pay in the event an appropriations Act expires, providing the same protection for personnel that the other U.S. Armed Forces branches have. 

Contact your members of Congress to call on them to pass the Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act!