DCUC Urges Congress to Protect Military Pay Before Christmas

By DCUC Staff — November 8, 2026

Letter calls for uninterrupted military and Coast Guard pay before the December 11 funding deadline

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) is urging congressional leaders to prevent a government shutdown just before Christmas and enact permanent protections ensuring military personnel, including Coast Guard members, receive their earned pay on schedule during any funding lapse.

In a November 8, 2026 letter addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, DCUC calls for action before the December 11, 2026, funding deadline just two weeks before Christmas. “No military family should approach Christmas wondering whether the government will pay them for their service. Many will already be spending the holiday apart because duty requires it. Congress should not add financial uncertainty to that sacrifice,” said Anthony Hernandez, DCUC President/CEO and retired U.S. Air Force colonel. “Protecting military pay, including Coast Guard pay, is a basic obligation. Financial readiness is essential to mission readiness.” The letter calls on Congress to fund the government beyond December 11 and establish permanent, automatic protections for earned military pay and allowances. Those protections must expressly include the Coast Guard and eligible National Guard and Reserve personnel, provide the necessary appropriations and payment authority, and keep essential payroll personnel and systems operating. If broader negotiations remain unresolved, DCUC urges lawmakers to advance a clean military pay measure without unrelated policy conditions. “December 11 is just two weeks before Christmas. Rent, groceries and childcare bills will not wait for Congress to finish a political fight,” said Jason Stverak, DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer. “If broader funding talks stall, bring a clean military pay bill to the floor. Do not make a military family’s Christmas budget a bargaining chip.”DCUC emphasizes that the Coast Guard requires explicit protection because it ordinarily operates within the Department of Homeland Security. A defense funding agreement alone does not necessarily protect Coast Guard pay. This year’s DHS shutdown lasted 76 days before ending April 30. The Coast Guard Foundation reported that a segment of the service’s civilian workforce received only partial pay on February 27. The letter points to that disruption and the prolonged uncertainty facing Coast Guard households as reasons to act before another funding deadline. “Credit unions stepped up when families needed help, and DCUC is proud of that response. But no service member should have to borrow the paycheck the government owes them,” Stverak added. “Congress needs to protect these families before lawmakers leave Washington for their own Christmas celebrations.” The letter builds on DCUC’s ongoing advocacy for uninterrupted military pay, including its May 1 call for permanent Coast Guard pay protections.

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Originally reported by DCUC.