Local employees at U.S. military bases overseas are facing mounting hardships as the ongoing government shutdown disrupts salaries, highlighting the uneven impact of Washington’s budget gridlock.
While active-duty American troops continue to receive paychecks, funding to maintain these payments could run out later this month if no deal is reached. Civilians employed on bases abroad, however, have already gone unpaid, with thousands affected since the shutdown began nearly six weeks ago.
At the largest U.S. base in Europe, Army Garrison Bavaria, official guidance advised local workers to turn to food banks before German authorities stepped in to cover salaries. A support list on the base’s website included the German charity Food for All, the app Too Good to Go, and Tafel Deutschland, which coordinates more than 970 local food banks. The list was removed on Wednesday.
The Pentagon said the guidance was intended solely for foreign nationals employed on the base, not for American troops. Soldiers and U.S. civilian employees continue to have access to support programs and were paid at the end of October, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Germany has now stepped in to pay nearly 11,000 local workers, with the expectation that the U.S. government will reimburse the costs once the shutdown ends. In contrast, employees at bases in Italy and Portugal remain without pay, leaving many to navigate uncertainty and financial strain. “It’s an absurd situation because nobody has responses, nobody feels responsible,” said Angelo Zaccaria, a union coordinator at Aviano Air Base in Italy.
Pay arrangements vary by host nation, based on agreements with the U.S. government. During the shutdown, local employees are still expected to fulfill their contractual duties, a Pentagon spokesperson said.
Experts note that contractors and temporary workers are particularly vulnerable during funding gaps. Linda Bilmes, a public finance expert at Harvard Kennedy School, explained that while full-time employees are generally reimbursed, contractors are not always guaranteed back pay, prompting some to include clauses to mitigate potential disruptions.
As the shutdown stretches into its sixth week, the plight of local employees abroad underscores the wider consequences of prolonged political deadlock in Washington, leaving some of the most vulnerable workers without basic financial security.
