03.07.25

Cantwell Bill Would Ensure Coasties Get Paid, Even if the Government Shuts Down

Pay Our Coast Guard Act would ensure members of the Coast Guard receive the same treatment as those in other U.S. military branches

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined her colleagues -- Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Roger Wicker (R-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) -- in reintroducing the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure United States Coast Guard personnel receive pay and allowances in the event of a government shutdown.

This legislation would ensure that the Coast Guard gets the same treatment as the other branches of the armed services if there is a lapse in appropriations. Because the Coast Guard is housed within the Department of Homeland Security, it was left out of a previous stopgap funding bill that only covered the Department of Defense.

“This commonsense legislation would ensure that Coast Guard members receive their paycheck in the event of a government shutdown, just like the other members of the armed forces,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Coast Guard members and their families make sacrifices for us every day and provide an incredible service to the Pacific Northwest and the nation through search and rescue, emergency response, oil spill prevention, facilitating maritime commerce, and protecting national security. We must honor their commitment and service by guaranteeing they receive their pay on time.” 

Sen. Cantwell is an ardent supporter of the U.S. Coast Guard and its families. Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which Sen. Cantwell introduced in February. It was first introduced last Congress, in December 2024. The bill would reauthorize $30.45 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026. It includes historic protections for service members from sexual assault and harassment, and boosts workforce development programs and availability of affordable housing, among other provisions.

In 2022, Sen. Cantwell led the passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022. The bill included provisions to reduce sexual assault and sexual harassment at sea and crack down on illegal fishing and forced labor. It also established the “Whale Desk” pilot program, which led to the creation of a whale traffic alert system at Coast Guard Base Seattle.

In 2021, Sen. Cantwell championed two Coast Guard provisions that were included in the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $309 million for repairs and new construction of Coast Guard owned housing and infrastructure across the country and $120 million to build Coast Guard owned and operated childcare centers, which are critical to the retention of women serving in the Coast Guard.

In 2017, Sen. Cantwell advocated for Coast Guard paid family leave policies to be expanded to include LGBTQ+ couples, adoptive parents, and secondary caregivers. The U.S. Coast Guard announced the expansion of their paid family leave policy in June 2018. In 2015, Sen. Cantwell authored an amendment to ensure Coast Guard members were not receiving less maternity leave than other branches of the military, such as the Navy. This resulted in paid maternity leave for Coast Guard members being doubled from 6 to 12 weeks.