Coast Guard deployed in Middle East, Pacific without pay during government shutdown

By ELIZABETH MCLAUGHLIN, BENJAMIN SIEGEL and MARIAM KHAN Jan 23, 2019, 2:03 PM ET

While the political impasse over the partial government shutdown drags on in Washington, the Coast Guard has not only kept patrolling America's coastlines, but also carrying out little-known significant missions overseas -- all without pay.

Coast Guardsmen serve in the Persian Gulf, one of the busiest and most combustible shipping lanes in the world, patrolling side-by-side with the U.S. Navy amid rising tensions with Iran. They're also interdicting migrants in the Caribbean.

On Sunday, the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf with a crew of 170 left Alameda, Calif., for a multi-month deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean in support of the Department of Defense. But as the ship pulled away, the Coast Guard commander in charge of the Pacific region, acknowledged the shutdown has added stress to the departure.

“I know it is hard for these crews to be leaving behind their dependents and spouses – it’s a thousand times more so when everyone is wondering when our next paycheck will be, and how they can support the family they are leaving behind,” said Vice Adm. Linda Fagan.

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