Pay Our Troops Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand up for the men and women serving in America's armed forces. I am working day in and day out to prevent a government shutdown in just over 48 hours. If Congress can't reach deal on government funding before Saturday night, those serving in our military will not receive their paychecks.

I will not allow the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country to go without pay.

That is why I introduced the Pay Our Troops Act, which would ensure our troops, including the Coast Guard, will be paid on time no matter what. As we continue working to avoid a government shutdown, my bipartisan legislation would give our troops the financial reassurance they deserve.

Our servicemembers shouldn't suffer because of Washington dysfunction, especially not at a time when inflation and interest rates continue to hurt our military families.

I am a Navy veteran, a Navy spouse, and a Navy mom. I know first hand that far too many of our service families live paycheck to paycheck. In fact, one in three families have less than $3,000 in savings. For the sake of those families and all of our military families, I am committed to getting our economy back on track by cutting wasteful spending. I am also committed to ensuring our servicemembers get a paycheck, no matter what is happening here in Washington.

Mr. Speaker, if there is anything that can unite us, it should be taking care of our troops. I believe that we can make commonsense spending cuts, while still responsibly funding our government and maintaining our national security. While we continue working to prevent a government shutdown, I urge my colleagues to join me in providing financial certainty to our military families by supporting our Pay Our Troops Act.

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