Mike Little, executive director of the Sea Service Family Foundation, which helped organize Tuesday’s lobbying event, said many service members who weathered the initial impact of missing a paycheck are starting to dread the coming weeks.
“Going forward, this is going to start looking dark for these families. They’re worried about how they pay the bills. And they just want to feel like their voice is being heard somewhere.”

Advocates say the missed paychecks are endangering both families’ finances and national security.
“Congress and the president have failed the men and women of the Coast Guard,” said Mike Little, executive director of the Sea Service Family Foundation. “The fact that we have coasties shopping at food banks and officially unable to pay the bills is a violation of these leaders’ obligation to protect their people.”

Mike Little, executive director for the Sea Service Family Foundation, said passing the legislation early in the new Congress would send a strong message of support to the Coast Guard.
“This shutdown has taken away from valuable time (servicemembers) should have been using to enjoy their families, but instead they spent it stressed beyond belief,” said Little, a Coast Guard spouse.