The Pay Our Military Act that would ensure that troops continue to get paid during a shutdown has yet to advance out of the House Committee on Appropriations. No active-duty service members, Defense Department civilian employees or defense contractors will be paid on time in the event of a shutdown unless Congress passes separate legislation similar to the 2013 Pay Our Military Act, which guaranteed continued military pay and allowances during a government shutdown that year. In 2013, the Pay Our Military Act was introduced in the House on Sept. 28, passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president on Sept. 30 — just hours before government funding lapsed. “As a Navy veteran, I know firsthand that our service members can’t afford Washington’s dysfunction. Similarly, neither furloughed nor excepted employees are paid during a shutdown, although they are guaranteed back pay once the government reopens.