Congress

NGAUS has been busy since the federal government shutdown began Oct. 1 informing Congress and the press on the harm the lapse in appropriations is doing to National Guard readiness and Guard Soldiers and Airmen and their families.

Mississippi Army National Guard 2nd Lt. Sawyer Walters came to Washington, D.C., last week “with a positive attitude” for the second NGAUS Capitol Summit of 2025.

The continuing government shutdown is uniquely hard on the Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard. We have thousands of full-time Guardsmen nationwide who wear their uniform and rank every workday but, unlike their active-duty brothers and sisters, they have yet to be paid in October.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that active-duty service members would get paid today, despite the government shutdown that is now in its third week.

NGAUS and three other National Guard and Reserve advocacy groups have made another urgent appeal to congressional leaders to end the government shutdown or at least take action to pay troops on duty during the impasse.

NGAUS is leading the charge of National Guard and Reserve associations asking Congress to help pay service members on duty during the government shutdown, which is now in its second week.

Since Congress failed to pass normal appropriations or a stopgap budget before the start of the fiscal year on Tuesday, the federal government is officially shut down.

Three associations that combine to represent all of the nation’s nearly 800,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists are urging congressional leaders to pass fiscal 2026 appropriations for defense, military construction and veterans affairs.

The Adjutants General Association of the United States and NGAUS have called on congressional defense leaders to include the bipartisan Guarding Readiness Resources Act in the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday changing the Defense Department’s name to the Department of War as a “secondary” title.

Some Black New York National Guard Soldiers, known as “Hellfighters” by their German enemies 100 years ago, were recognized with Congress’ highest honor during a Sept. 3 ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

Senate lawmakers hit the ground running Tuesday by voting to proceed to debate on the annual defense policy bill.