A customer service office on Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany, was closed in February due to the government shutdown. It should be business as usual at U.S. bases across Europe should there be another shutdown, because money for current operations has already been budgeted for. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Military in Europe not affected by possible shutdown, officials say
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — It should be business as usual on U.S. bases across Europe, even if wrangling between President Donald Trump and Congress over a federal spending bill forces a partial shutdown, because money for operations here has already been approved, military officials said.
“There should be no effect on the garrisons as the (Defense Department) budget was passed in August,” said Ray Johnson, spokesman for U.S. Army Installation and Management Command Europe.
Navy officials in Europe also said they did not expect base operations to be affected. Ramstein Air Base officials deferred all comment to the Air Force in Washington, but Air Force and Marine Corps funding are also secured by the DOD budget. Several base functions throughout Europe will be closed as scheduled over the holiday break.
Trump has warned lawmakers of a “very long” shutdown if they refuse to allocate money for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a key campaign promise he is eager to fulfill. Dozens of federal agencies could close at midnight Friday if lawmakers cannot break an impasse over the spending bill before funding expires.
Trump has said he will not sign a temporary extension passed by the Senate on Wednesday unless it includes funding for the wall. House Republicans approved a spending package Thursday with his $5.7 billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate, The Associated Press reported. Senators could approve a version with the wall funding stripped out and send it back to the House.
Much of the federal budget under congressional control, including for the Pentagon, Veterans Affairs and the Health and Human Services Department, has been funded through September, the AP reported.
Still, there could be spillover effect for American servicemembers in some locations overseas if the two sides can’t reach an agreement to keep open the Department of State and dozens of other agencies. More than 800,000 federal workers face the prospect of furloughs or work without pay if a resolution is not reached in time.
With government offices closed for Christmas on both Monday and Tuesday, after Trump signed an order giving federal workers Christmas Eve off, it could be Wednesday before officials are able to take steps for a shutdown.
At Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the primary military hospital for thousands of servicemembers stationed at Ramstein Air Base and several nearby Army bases, officials were forced to reschedule appointments because of the Dec. 24 closure. But all services are set to continue as normal after the holidays, even if a shutdown happens, officials there said.
The last time Army employees in Europe faced a shutdown in February, federal employees went home one Friday not knowing if they would be returning to work after the weekend. No workers were furloughed, however, and a last-minute resolution on Sunday night extended funding before offices opened for business, ensuring government services were not significantly disrupted.
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