BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- How would a government shutdown affect pay?
Personnel who find themselves in financial difficulties should notify their supervisor, first sergeant and commander who can provide information on financial aid organizations.
- All civilians will be paid for hours worked September 24 – 30 on their normal pay date.
- Civilians paid from a Defense Working Capital Fund (DWCF), multi-year, or no year funds will continue to work and be paid for all hours worked, for as long as funds are available and furloughed thereafter.
- Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) civilian employees will be processed and paid as normal.
- Once a CR or appropriations act is signed, employees will be paid retroactively for unpaid hours worked and time charged as furlough as soon as feasible.
- All Active military, Reserve and Guard members will be paid their September end-month pay (through Sep 30) on Sep 29.
- Military members will not be subject to furlough, but they will not receive pay for work performed after 30 Sep 2023 until an appropriation, CR, or the Pay Out Military Act (POMA) is passed. If this authority is provided by 4 Oct, there is minimal risk of mid-month pay delays.
What is a shutdown/emergency furlough?
A shutdown furlough (also called an emergency furlough) occurs when there is a lapse in appropriations and can occur at the beginning of a fiscal year, if no funds have been appropriated for that year, or upon expiration of a continuing resolution, if a new continuing resolution or appropriations law is not passed. In a shutdown furlough, an affected agency would have to shut down any activities funded by annual appropriations that are not excepted by law. Typically, an agency will have very little to no lead time to plan and implement a shutdown furlough.
How will this affect the Team Buckley’s civilian workforce?
If Congress fails to pass a CR or appropriation, all civilian personnel paid by appropriated funds will be furloughed, except for the minimum number necessary to accomplish excepted activities that are essential to national security and safety. These civilian employees would not receive pay until an appropriation or CR is passed. Civilians not performing expected activities will be placed in a furlough status on 1 Oct. Furloughed employees should report for duty on 2 Oct to perform orderly shutdown activities.
How will this affect Team Buckley’s uniformed members?
Military personnel are not subject to furlough. Military personnel on active duty, to include reserve personnel on active duty, will continue to report for duty and carry out assigned duties. This includes duty involving excepted and, to the extent they can be performed without incurring new obligations, non-excepted activities. Military personnel on active duty may be assigned to carry out non-excepted activities in place of furloughed civilian personnel only to the extent that the non-excepted activity is capable of performance without incurring new obligations.
While military members will not be subject to furlough, they will not receive pay for work performed after 30 Sep 2023 until an appropriation CR, or POMA is passed. Additionally, new requests for special pays and bonuses will not be processed. Those currently receiving pays under programs such as the Enlistment Bonus, Aviation Demo Program Bonus, and Assignment Incentive Pay may experience a delay in processing and payment.
How will Team Buckley’s Guard and Reserve members be affected by the furlough?
Reserve component personnel performing Active Guard Reserve (AGR) duty will continue to report for duty to carry out AGR authorized duties. Reserve component personnel will not perform inactive duty training resulting in the obligation of funds, except where such training directly supports an excepted activity, and may not be ordered to active duty, except in support of those military operations and activities necessary for national security, including fulfilling associated pre-deployment requirements. Orders for members of the National Guard currently performing duties under 32 U.S.C. 502(f) will be terminated unless such duties are in support of excepted activities approved by the Secretary of Defense.
How will this affect Team Buckley’s contract employees?
Contractors performing under a contract that was fully obligated upon entering the contract (or renewal or modification) prior to the expiration of appropriations will continue to provide contract services, whether in support of activities that are essential to national security and safety, or not. Airmen, Guardians, and civilians excepted from furlough would be required to provide appropriate contract oversight. New contracts (including renewals) may not be executed unless the contract is in support of an activity that is essential to national security and safety.