Coast Guard officers are going into debt to follow orders during shutdown, chief says

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]All right, this morning the Coast Guard is in a financial crisis because of the longest government shutdown in history.

[00:00:05]The agency unable to pay its bills.

[00:00:07]Officers are facing water and power outages and they're about to miss their first paycheck next month. CBS News Homeland Security Correspondent Nicole Skenga spoke exclusively with the Coast Guard Commandant who compares the situation to a horror movie.

[00:00:21]This is incredibly frustrating. Admiral Kevin Lundy says he's had enough. After 75 days shut down, the US has run out of emergency funds to pay the US Coast Guard, including active duty military, and to pay its bills. We have over 6,000 utility bills that have been unpaid because DHS is not funded. And so now we're starting to see electricity, water, natural gas, other services shut off that are impacting not only our operational units and bases where our people work, but starting to impact where people live.

[00:00:54]Members of the Coast Guard going around with flashlights until the lights can be turned back on. It seems like a horror movie, but it's actually happening. It's almost unbelievable. These are Coast Guard stations that are standing by to respond to search and rescue missions and the lights are shutting off. That's exactly right. They launch 24/7 365 and suddenly the lights go out or they don't have water. Admiral, I think a lot of Americans would be pissed to hear this is happening.

[00:01:23]Furious. About 1/3 of the roughly 45,000 active duty Coast Guard members are reassigned every year, but advanced pay for those moves has now been suspended.

[00:01:34]>> Right now, they're not getting those advances. So they're putting those thousands of dollars on credit cards.

[00:01:38]They're depleting their savings. They're taking out loans that they can't afford.

[00:01:42]Let me get this straight. They're going into personal debt to follow orders.

[00:01:46]Yes, that's exactly right. Jessica Manfree has been a Coast Guard spouse for 18 years. That fear that they're not going to come home um is just magnified. And because they don't have everything that they need, they're wondering am I going to get paid? Is my family going to be okay?

[00:02:02]More than 300 members of the US Coast Guard are deployed in the Middle East amid the war with Iran. It's unfathomable and it's not something that anyone should have to weather, let alone someone who is willing to lay down their life for this country.

[00:02:16]Should this happen in America? Never.

[00:02:20]And Nicole joins us now with more. Uh Nicole, I have to say that was that was a a very good moment in that interview where you really nailed it on the head that these these members are going into debt to follow orders. I think that was that really stuck out to me. So, great interviewing there. So, how else could the shutdown impact the Coast Guard?

[00:02:40]Yeah, Kelly, thank you so much. And there are so many ways that the shutdown is now affecting members of the US Coast Guard, which again is the only military service branch that is under the Department of Homeland Security.

[00:02:54]Everyone else uh of course under uh the Department of Defense or the Department of War. Now, right now, the Coast Guard has had to suspend more than 30 of their national security training exercises. And this comes ahead of major events that the Coast Guard plays a key role in protecting like the World Cup and the America 250 celebrations. Folks might also not know that the Coast Guard is in charge of approving um all of the mariner uh credentials. So, the crews that crew uh commercial vessels throughout the United States that move over 5 trillion dollars in commerce every year in our waterways.

[00:03:37]There are 19,000 credentials waiting to be greenlit and that represents about 10% of the maritime crew workforce. So, those are just waiting. The Coast Guard also greenlights bridge permits. There are more than 50 permits that are just suspended right now, which is stalling major infrastructure projects nationwide.

[00:04:01]Um and in addition to that, it's just the uncertainty, the fear of the unknown. So many Coast Guard families reaching out to me saying not only are we worried about how we're going to put food on the table, but we've had to cancel our vacation, cancel our kids summer camp as we watch members of Congress take their vacations. Mhm.

[00:04:22]Nicole, I really appreciate that exclusive interview. Thank you. Thank you.