Coast Guard working without pay during shutdown

MARBLEHEAD — A national policing agency anchored on Lake Erie remains open during the federal government's partial shutdown.Yet all Coast Guard personnel, including those stationed in Marblehead, might not get compensated for performing their civic duties — at least, not right away.Homeland Security, which funds Coast Guard operations and salaries, isn't guaranteeing this military branch, employing about 42,000 active duty officers, will receive a paycheck on the next scheduled payment date, Jan. 15, according to the Military Times.The agency issued a one-time payment on Monday, New Year's Eve, reflecting work Coast Guard officials completed in mid-to-late December, according to the Associated Press.In this Feb. 9, 2013, photo, an ice rescue crewmember from the Marblehead Coast Guard Station rescues a victim actor from the ice of Lake Erie during a training exercise. For several days, Coast Guard personnel went without receiving pay because of the ongoing government shutdown.Unlike all other U.S. military branches, during a shutdown, it's the only one requiring officers to work without pay. All other military branches get funded by the Department of Defense, monetarily unaffected by the shutdown, according to NBC News. Federal representatives didn't earmark a subsidy for the Coast Guard in 2019. They won't designate dollars until the shutdown ends.When the shutdown began on Dec. 22, many Coast Guard officers feared they'd go weeks before receiving a cent. Homeland Security will likely reimburse Coast Guard workers once the shutdown ends, but nobody truly knows when that could occur. This leaves Coast Guard workers, in the interim, uncertain of how they'll financially support themselves.During a partial shutdown, "non-essential" agencies cease operations. This includes national parks, the Small Business Administration and NASA stations. "Essential" activities — namely military, including Coast Guard units — stay operational during a shutdown.Though just because the Coast Guard is open doesn't mean it's working at full capacity.A Coast Guard spokesman told the Associated Press its military duties during the shutdown have been scaled back, limited to mostly search-and-rescue missions along with securing ports and coastlines. NBC News reported the Coast Guard curtails training and maintenance activities to its fleet during a shutdown.A shutdown won't end, as reported by the Associated Press, until President Donald Trump receives approval from Congress to "wall off" the U.S.-Mexico border in hopes of deterring criminal elements happening there.The U.S. Coast Guard station in Marblehead.What else has the shutdown affected?In the Register's coverage area, the partial government shutdown has most notably impacted the NASA Plum Brook Station in Erie County.The facility closed Dec. 22 and, to date, hasn't reopened.Space.com, an independent website reporting on NASA news, estimates 95 percent of the agency's employees can't go to work during a shutdown. This includes all staff who report to Plum Brook.The shutdown interrupted many ongoing projects at Plum Brook, most notably testing on and preparation for Orion — the initiative aiming to carry astronauts into deep space and possibly land on Mars.Most recently, a simulated spacecraft resembling Orion's actual article underwent and aced noise-related tests. Engineers collected data to input into Orion's actual article, ensuring, upon a scheduled 2021 launch, the spacecraft can withstand extreme vibration it'll likely encounter in space.Depending on the shutdown's length, a federal holdup could push back several crucial Orion-related experiments scheduled throughout this year at Plum Brook.In this 2017 photo, NASA workers performed tests on Orion's launch abort system, which is called an ogive (the cone-curved shaped item pictured) at the NASA Plum Brook Station in Erie County. A partial federal government shutdown resulted in the Plum Brook Station closing.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.