Photo: Alamy
The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security this year has created a myriad of problems for DHS employees.
According to a new report from CBS, the latest victim of this shutdown is the United States Coast Guard.
“In the last few days, Station Channel Islands, California, had the power cut off,” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday told the outlet. “Station Michigan, Port Huron, had services cut off. Our air station in Barbers Point, Hawaii, had natural gas service cut off. We were able to restore all of it, but we’re seeing the number increase, and I expect the number’s going to continue to go up.”
The outlet reported that the Coast Guard currently has more than $300 million in unpaid bills, due to the ongoing DHS shutdown, which has delayed payments for every agency under its purview.
“We have over 6,000 utility bills that have been unpaid because DHS is not funded,” Adm. Lunday said in his interview. “And so now we’re starting to see electricity, water, natural gas, other services shut off, that are impacting not only our operational units and bases where our people work, but starting to impact where people live.”
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, CBS reported, have been using flashlights inside station buildings and homes due to the cut in electricity.
As funding begins to dry up amid the never-ending DHS shutdown, the reality of absent paychecks is a grim possibility – but hope may be on the horizon.
As reported by RSBN, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) said earlier this week that lawmakers would move forward with a proposal to fund the DHS, although any legislation passed in the House would still require the approval of the U.S. Senate – a sticking point for Democrats, who are refusing to fund the agency based on their opposition to immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
On Thursday, the House passed a Senate DHS funding bill by a voice vote, which will send it immediately to the desk of President Donald Trump for a signature. This bill would simply reopen the agency and ensure DHS employees will remain paid.
ICE and Border Patrol funding, however, will be dealt with separately through a reconciliation process.
