Signs indicating difficulties or uncertainties for American troops due to the ongoing US government shutdown appeared on the US Army Garrison Bavaria website this week, and then were quickly removed after gaining attention.
U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria is the largest Army grouping outside the United States, with approximately 36,000 troops stationed at four facilities in Germany.
“The shutdown will impact services provided by the garrison at installations at Rose Barracks, Tower Barracks, Hohenfels and Garmish,” it said on a web page to provide guidance to members on how to deal with the government shutdown.
“During this time our U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria team will continue to provide life, health and safety services to those who work and live in our community.”
The web page also included a “running list of German aid organizations for your kit bag” which included charities such as FoodSharing e.V. and Essen für Alle (Food for All), as well as the app Good to Go.
Topping the list was Tafel Deutschland, described as an “umbrella organization that distributes food to people in poverty through its more than 970 local food banks.”
On Wednesday, Garrison removed references to these German food banks and other free or subsidized food provision services from the web page. But some lists continued a separate documentMention of various services for people affected by the shutdown.
US shutdown becomes longest on record
These shutdowns have become very common in the US in recent years, and are usually resolved fairly quickly, regardless of who is in charge. As of Tuesday, the current shutdown entered its 36th day and became the longest on record.
Soldiers are among the federal government employees whose pay should be withheld.
The Trump administration found funding to cover Oct. 15 and Nov. 1 pay for servicemen and women, but officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Besant have warned that Nov. 15 payments are unlikely to occur until the impasse is resolved.
It is not uncommon for soldiers to be very young, on relatively low incomes, and living paycheck to paycheck. There are also support staff and other federal employees at facilities like U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria who still face non-pay or furlough status in the shutdown.
The German government said in October it would take over the payments of about 11,000 local workers at US military facilities as a show of good faith, expecting repayment when the shutdown is resolved.
Edited by: Zack Crellin