Support pay for the USCG and USPHS during the government shutdown!

Congress and the Administration are actively negotiating proposals to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, but those talks remain stalled over policy disputes that have nothing to do with the U.S. Coast Guard or the U.S. Public Health Service.

As a result, Coast Guard members and USPHS officers continue serving the nation while facing uncertainty about their pay. These uniformed servicemembers are not part of the political disagreements driving the shutdown, yet their paychecks are being used as leverage in broader negotiations.

On March 9, ROA joined 31 other members of The Military Coalition urging House and Senate leadership to guarantee uninterrupted pay for all members of the uniformed services of the United States during a government shutdown, specifically USCG and USPHS members.

"As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enters its fourth week without funding and the partial shutdown continues, members of the United States Coast Guard and United States Public Health Service (USPHS) continue to work without pay while carrying critical missions including securing our maritime borders, conducting search and rescue missions, and advancing our nation’s public health," the letter reads.

This Call to Action urges Congress to do something straightforward and urgent: move Coast Guard and Public Health Service pay forward immediately, separately, and cleanly—without tying it to unrelated DHS policy fights.

What’s at Stake

Coast Guard members and USPHS officers are continuing critical missions every day, including maritime security, search and rescue, disaster response, and public health operations.
These servicemembers are required to report for duty regardless of whether pay is delayed.
Families are left to absorb the financial stress of a shutdown that could be avoided for these services.
Allowing pay to become a bargaining chip undermines morale, readiness, and trust—and distracts from the missions Americans rely on.
Congress has the authority to protect these servicemembers right now by advancing a targeted pay solution, even if broader DHS negotiations continue.

Why Action Now Can Make a Difference

Lawmakers are currently weighing multiple DHS funding proposals. This is precisely the moment when constituent voices matter most. Members of Congress need to hear clearly and consistently that:

Coast Guard and Public Health Service pay should not be used as leverage.
A clean, standalone solution for pay is both possible and necessary.
Protecting the uniformed services should come before politics.

Your participation helps reinforce that this is not a partisan issue—it is about fairness and readiness.

Take Action

By participating in this Call to Action, you are urging Congress to:

Advance Coast Guard and USPHS pay independently of broader DHS negotiations.
Remove unrelated conditions or so‑called “poison pills” from pay protections.
Ensure no uniformed servicemember is forced to shoulder the burden of a political stalemate.

The men and women who serve in uniform are doing their jobs without hesitation. They should not have to wonder whether their pay will arrive on time.