Officers with the U.S. Capitol Police, tasked with protecting elected officials on Capitol Hill and keeping the complex safe, missed their full paycheck for the first time since the government shutdown began 14 days ago, according to their union.
USCP officers received half their pay — without earned overtime — on Saturday, for the pay period before the shutdown went into effect. And it could be the last paycheck they see for a while.
Gus Papathanasiou, the chairman of the union that represents rank-and-file officers, urged Congress to lawmakers to end the shutdown.
"The longer the shutdown drags on, the harder it becomes for my officers," Papathanasiou said. "Banks and landlords do not give my officers a pass because we are in shutdown — they still expect to be paid."
He added, "Unfortunately, Congress and the Administration are not in active negotiations, and everyone is waiting for the other side to blink. That is not how we are going to end this shutdown, and the sooner they start talking, the quicker we can end this thing.”
One Capitol Police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told NBC News they were not given additional resources beyond the option of taking loans out through the Credit Union in the Capitol. The loans are designed to help officers bridge gaps in a shutdown and would be interest-free for a few months.
“I remember the last shutdown,” said a second officer, who has been with the force for more than a decade. “I had to dip into my savings and didn’t get back pay for nearly half a year.”
Meanwhile, members of Congress will continue to receive paychecks as it is protected under the Constitution.
The lapse in pay comes at a particularly fraught time for law enforcement in the Capitol, as threats to lawmakers continue to be at an all-time high, and leadership of both parties is working to expand resources for USCP and member security.
After recruitment issues plagued the force during the Covid pandemic and following the Jan. 6 riot, USCP leadership worked for years to incentivize individuals to join the unit.
“We’re still having issues with that,” the first officer, who said they live paycheck to paycheck, told NBC News. The officer told NBC News they may soon run out of gas money to get to work and needed to skip celebrations and gifts for their daughter’s birthday this week.
We’d like to hear from you about how you’re experiencing the government shutdown, whether you’re a federal employee who can’t work right now or someone who is feeling the effects of shuttered services in your everyday life. Please contact us at [email protected] or reach out to us here.
The White House Office of Management and Budget did not immediately return a request for comment. Earlier Tuesday, OMB posted on X that it was "making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats’ intransigence. Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait."
It’s unclear whether Capitol Police would be included in those plans.
Members of the military will be paid tomorrow using already-allocated funding for research that Trump directed Defense Department officials to use to ensure troops wouldn’t miss a paycheck.
