Air National Guard in the District of Columbia. (Air Force photo).
While a last-minute bill kept active duty military members paid during the government shutdown, those not on active duty are in limbo.
“Pretty much everything has stopped,” Army Reserve spokesman Lt. Col. Matt Lawrence told Military.com in a story today.
National Guard and Reserve training exercises and professional development have been put on hold for now (although those who started training before the shutdown are expected to continue) and about 50,000 “dual-status technicians” who work full-time for the Guard and who also are part-time soldiers have been furloughed across the country.
Among those furloughed were technicians helping in the aftermath of massive flooding in Colorado. State officials have agreed to keep paying those technicians with state money and they will continue cleanup assistance.
“The longer this goes on, the more our readiness is put at risk,” John Goheen of the National Guard Association of the United States told Military.com.
Obviously, the Guard and Reserves are a quintessential local story. Here are a few links to what some local media outlets are reporting about the impact in their area.