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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 28, 2025) — The chief executives of four associations that in all represent all the nation’s more than 1 million National Guardsmen and Reservists are urging congressional leaders to find a way to end the government shutdown.
And if that is not possible soon, the association leaders implore the Senate to come together on a stand-alone bill to pay all involved in force readiness.
This would include not just active-duty troops, but full-time Guard and Reserve technicians (both dual-status and civilian) and drill-status Guardsmen and Reservists, most of whom are now losing valuable training time and a paycheck to cancelled drills.
“The government shutdown hurts all government employees but the impact on the Guard and Reserve is uniquely painful,” the four association leaders wrote.
Retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president; Maj. Gen. Francis J. Evon, the president of the Adjutants General Association of the United States; retired Maj. Gen. John B. Hashem, the president of the Reserve Organization of America; and retired Command Sgt. Maj. John Gipe, the executive director of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, signed the Oct. 28 letter.
The letter is available here. It went to Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the Senate Majority Leader; Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. the Senate Republican Whip; Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate Minority Leader; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate Democratic Whip.
Unlike their active-component counterparts, the National Guard and Reserve rely on so-called technicians to maintain force readiness. Many of them are required to wear their rank every workday and are indistinguishable from those on active duty.
Yet they are technically civilian employees and going without pay. Many are now struggling.
“Undue hardships have been placed on both service members and their families to include some providers denying TRICARE healthcare coverage for dependents during shutdown,” the association leaders share with Senate leaders.
“It is crucial that we fund our National Guard and Reserves to ease their financial burden and maintain strategic readiness,” the letter concluded.
Reporters, Editors & Producers: Retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn is available for interviews or to appear as a subject matter expert on issues related to the National Guard. Contact John Goheen at 202-408-5882 to schedule an interview or appearance.
About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on Guard requirements. Today, 147 years later, NGAUS has the same mission.
