Germany plans to pay about 11,000 local workers at US military bases in the country who may not receive salaries in October due to the government shutdown in Washington, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.
“The [German] A ministry spokesperson said, “The federal government will embark on an unscheduled expenditure to ensure that October salaries are paid on time.”
A ministry spokesman told AFP news agency on Wednesday that it was still unclear whether the US government would send the money, but the German government would ensure that salaries would be paid anyway.
He said the German government expects to be reimbursed after the US side makes the payment.
Berlin’s contribution, he said, “is a sign of solidarity with the U.S. armed forces deployed in Germany and their civilian employees.”
Both Germany and the US are members of the NATO military alliance and engage in substantial defense cooperation.
What is the US federal government shutdown?
The US federal government shut down on October 1 after Democrats and Republicans failed to agree on a stopgap funding bill.
If a budget is not passed, the government cannot approve new spending, which has cascading effects on many federal institutions.
Under a shutdown, federal employees are furloughed or continue to work without pay.
Earlier this month, the White House began mass layoffs of federal employees.
US President Donald Trump has blamed his political rivals for the impasse, saying, “Democrats are causing a lot of job losses.”
While Democrats want more concessions from Republicans on health policy, they are under pressure from voters to come to an agreement and end the shutdown.
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah