Occasionally, we hear reminders of late in the news that the U.S. government is in a period of shutdown. This one, among the nation’s longest sustained appropriation lapses, has disrupted daily life less than others. Unlike during the Obama years, we don’t see the National Park Service closing off monuments or blocking scenic highway overlooks with traffic cones for dramatic effect. But many important missions are impacted. I learned yesterday that the Religious Liberty Commission’s work has been classified as non-essential, so it has been paused. As always, however, the Department of War is deemed an essential agency. While many civilian employees are furloughed, uniformed troops are required to be on duty, whether or not they are being paid.
I experienced a handful of government shutdowns during my 20-year military career. Most were short-lived, with banks that specialize in serving military members advancing pay to prevent a financial crisis across the force. This current situation has been in effect for nearly a month, with no end in sight. Defense research funds were recently reallocated to cover the mid-month pay period for the troops. Then, news broke that a private donor had stepped in to help fund military pay for the remainder of the month.
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My first reaction was one of gratitude that someone with such wealth cared enough to put their money where their mouth is. It reminded me of the many kind Americans who send care packages to deployed troops, greet returning service members at airports, and contribute through employment or volunteer work at organizations like the USO. Our nation is blessed by many people who show appreciation for military personnel in meaningful, tangible ways. But sentiments abounding across my X feed of late indicate that another grouping of Americans holds to opposing values, angry that a private citizen made a contribution to help prevent military members from missing a check this month.
To those eager to criticize anything associated with the Trump administration, the reactions boiled down to accusations of bribery or some shadow figure trying to buy influence over the military. The New York Times predictably labeled the donation a “potential violation of federal law.” Another unhinged rant said it marks the end of the Constitution. This reminded me of a sad truth I’ve come to realize in recent months: They love soldiers the most when we’re dead.
I desperately want to avoid making this column one of a partisan nature. But the facts are unavoidable that:
1. This shutdown is largely driven by congressional Democrats, who want taxpayer money to fund healthcare for people living in the U.S. illegally.
2. Democrats in the Senate voted down a bill that would have ensured military personnel are paid during the shutdown.
There’s a clear partisan desire to make this shutdown painful, and the sight of unpaid military members offers an opportunity for the left to score political points against the current commander in chief.
For all the times that hollow phrase “Thanks for your service” is uttered, today’s military members are as much social outcasts as the many generations before. The American public cheers for the troops during ball games when one of us is trotted out for a moment of glory on the big screen, or when we march by in a parade. But it’s not unknown that most would rather their children marry someone with a different vocation and keep those perceived as damaged goods behind the gates of military installations. This is especially true for those of us who commit to a full 20-year career, carrying the weight of battles Congress never votes for, only to find that the job market outside government and defense contracting is slim. The predictable utterance of “I really appreciate what you did” at dead-end networking events, job interviews, or pitches is the further evolution of being put in the dreaded friend zone by an attractive member of the opposite sex in one’s youth. This isn’t a complaint. It’s an acknowledgment of the way things are. Every generation of soldier has experienced it in some form. Technology advances, but human nature remains unchanged.
Those who misframe a wealthy benefactor’s attempt to ease the financial pain on military members as an effort to buy influence were eerily silent two weeks ago when the U.S. Army accepted a $1 million donation from the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) to fund senior officials’ attendance at the annual AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C. This event, sometimes referred to as the Army’s “prom,” is a spectacle where weaponry and military hardware are showcased on a scale that fills a major convention center. Most of the Army’s generals attend this event each year on the taxpayer’s dime, but non-essential travel funding is restricted during a government shutdown. In response, AUSA stepped in with private funding to ensure senior defense officials could attend in their official capacity. It seems that those now protesting a private citizen’s donation to help troops have no objections to a trade association paying for senior officers to attend an industry event that promotes military hardware and services to the war department.
Apparently, funding the travel bill for senior military officials to attend a private event is not worth investigating. But when a donor steps in to provide funds so soldiers can receive at least partial pay during a government shutdown, that’s apparently controversial. One cannot logically support both positions. If someone is morally opposed to a private citizen helping to reduce the financial burden on military members during this lapse in appropriations, they should apply the same standard to private organizations funding government travel. Principled observers might also take note of government-affiliated museums and parks accepting private donations to cover programs beyond what Congress funds. But principles are not what drives the outrage machine.
For much of my life, I’ve heard the tired refrain that the rich need to “pay their fair share,” as though they don’t already shoulder the heaviest tax burden. In this case, one man did just that. But rather than commend him for stepping up, the usual suspects are trolling because his donation will go to the troops. One thing I am certain of — like death and taxes — is that had this man donated funds to reopen USAID, ensure civilian government workers were paid, or fully reopen the national parks, the outrage machine would have remained silent. But this gift helps military members, whom Americans of this era remain blissfully unaware of the toll that the largely invisible forever war mindset still takes on their fellow Americans in uniforms, and their families. Being sent into harm’s way on missions lacking clear U.S. national security interests and subject to totalitarian policies that violate U.S. law are dismissed by too many with taunts of “You knew what you signed up for.” Echoing fellow veteran Lt. Col Adam D’Ortona, today’s military members “are good enough to fight your wars, bury their friends, and carry the silence of it all for the rest of their lives,” but [my words now] not get paid by the generosity of an American who is more concerned for their plight than Senate Democrats.
As a veteran who remembers wondering on several occasions what the future would hold during government shutdowns, I tip my hat to the man who cares enough to do something practical to help. Talk is cheap. We need more people willing to do noble things
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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