YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – Navy Federal Credit Union will advance servicemembers a week’s pay if the government shuts down, according to a credit union news release.Active-duty servicemembers belonging to the credit union would not see any change in their April 15 paychecks, even if the government fails to pay them, the release stated.Congress has until midnight Friday to strike a deal that would keep the federal government funded. If it cannot, 800,000 government workers would be furloughed and non-essential services would be halted.Servicemembers would still be expected to show up for work and would accrue deferred pay. “The military would be paid through the 8th” — or half a paycheck, a senior White House official told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday. “Beyond that period of time, they would not be paid. They would continue to earn their money, and when we have money again, they would be paid at that time.”Navy Federal is also making expedited decisions on applications for lines of credit, overdraft programs and credit card limit increases, according to the news release.Credit union members who are concerned about making loan payments during a shutdown should contact their local branches, according to the news release. Membership at Navy Federal is open to all Defense Department military and civilian employees, as well as their immediate family members.slavine@pstripes.osd.mil
