The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS New Hampshire arrives at Norfolk Naval Shipyard on Sept. 3, 2025, for a Depot Modernization Period. (Shelby West/Norfolk Naval Shipyard)
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers have introduced legislation to ensure the civilian and military workforce at America’s Navy public shipyards are paid during government shutdowns.
Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., on Oct. 3 introduced the bipartisan Pay Our Public Shipyard Workers Act. The legislation would guarantee that a lapse in federal funding does not interrupt their paychecks, ensuring stability for families and continuity for the Navy’s critical missions.
“These men and women are the backbone of our defense industrial base — keeping our ships repaired, modernized, and ready to answer the call at a moment’s notice,” Kiggans, a Navy veteran, said in a statement. “They deserve the certainty of a paycheck for the critical work they perform, regardless of political gridlock in Washington.”
There are four public shipyards in the United States: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Kittery, Maine; Norfolk (Va.) Naval Shipyard; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, in Washington state; and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, in Hawaii.
During a government shutdown, thousands of shipyard workers are furloughed or required to work without pay.
“The men and women of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and all our public shipyards are critical to our national defense. They work every day with skill and patriotism to support our military, and their ability to make ends meet shouldn’t hang in the balance due to political dysfunction in Washington,” Pappas said in a statement.
Kiggans introduced a bill last month to guarantee shutdown pay for active-duty troops and reservists on active service, including members of the Coast Guard, as well as civilians and contractors providing critical troop support.
But the legislation, which has the support of more than 50 House lawmakers, has yet to receive a vote as the House stays out of session and the Senate continues to hold failed votes on a short-term funding measure.
Democrats have refused to vote for a stopgap funding measure that does not include an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republicans have also dug in and want to pass a “clean” government funding extension.
President Donald Trump told sailors Sunday at an event celebrating the Navy’s 250th anniversary not to worry about their paychecks amid an ongoing government shutdown, saying he will “always stand for” service members, and pay is “coming.”
But all troops will miss a paycheck if Congress does not agree on a deal to reopen the government before paychecks are processed for the next pay date on Oct. 15.
