The federal government entered day two of a shutdown on Thursday after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a funding bill earlier this week.
The shutdown has direct impacts on Fort Bragg soldiers, their families and veterans in Cumberland County. Without federal funding, soldiers are required to work without pay until a bill is passed. Most civilian employees on post are sent home, also without pay. Services and programs on Fort Bragg deemed non-essential are limited or halted.
“Fort Bragg is committed to continuing essential services for soldiers, families and the community during the government shutdown,” a Fort Bragg spokesperson told CityView. “While many civilian employees will be furloughed, the Fort Bragg Garrison team will prioritize maintaining life, health and safety functions on the installation.”
Families facing financial hardship amid the shutdown are encouraged to utilize assistance programs offered by non-profits like the Army Emergency Relief and the Armed Services YMCA, the spokesperson said. The Military Times also compiled a list of banks where military families and some U.S. Department of Defense civilian employees can get loans.
Soldiers’ first paycheck that could be impacted by the shutdown is scheduled to be distributed on Oct. 15. While no one can predict how long the shutdown will last, there is currently no end in sight, according to the Associated Press.
CityView compiled a list of how Fort Bragg adjusted its operations amid the shutdown and other impacts the federal government’s closure has on soldiers and the community. A full list of Fort Bragg’s operations during the shutdown, called a Stop Light Chart, is available on the installation’s website. The Department of Defense’s shutdown contingency plan is also available online.
Soldier fitness and nutrition
All of Fort Bragg’s dining facilities, commissaries and post exchanges (PXs) are open for their routine hours throughout the shutdown.
All physical fitness centers are also open during their regular hours. Sports programs and aquatics are still operating normally.
Child care
The Department of Defense leaves it up to each installation to determine whether to keep its child development centers open during a shutdown. Fort Bragg has kept all but one open — the Loredo Child Development Center. However, two others, the Cook and the Rodriguez centers, are closed for renovations.
The installation’s three child care offerings for children in kindergarten through sixth grade — Wonderful World of Kids, Baez School Age Program and Morales School Age Program — are also fully open.
Schools and youth services
All Department of Defense Education Activity schools, the federally-operated school system on military installations, are following their published instructional calendars, according to the organization’s shutdown webpage. However, school-sponsored sports and extracurricular activities have stopped during the shutdown.
Fort Bragg’s Youth Sports and Fitness Program, as well as the Tolson and Chay youth centers, are open and fully operational. SKIES Unlimited’s extracurricular instructional classes at Tolson Youth Center will still take place.
Emergency services, health care at Womack and the VA
There are no changes to any care provided at Womack Army Medical Center, including outpatient care and at its specialty clinics. All pharmacies are operating with normal hours.
The medical center’s emergency department is fully operational, as are all emergency services on Fort Bragg. The only service not available is the installation’s Directorate of Emergency Services fire prevention and inspection program, which is closed due to staff being furloughed.
All VA Medical Centers, including the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, and clinics, including the Fayetteville VA Health Care Center and Robeson Street VA Clinic, are open as usual and offering all services, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.
VA benefits are still being processed and delivered throughout the shutdown. However, the department isn’t offering its military-to-civilian life transition program or career counseling. Call centers for the GI Bill and cemetery assistance are also halted.
Family services
Until the shutdown is over, the Exceptional Family Members Program on Fort Bragg, which provides services to soldiers’ dependents with disabilities, is only providing its medical services.
The Family Advocacy Program services, which help prevent domestic violence on post, are also limited due to reduced staffing. Only two victim advocates are currently available, and the program will only run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The 24-hour hotline will remain operational and can be reached at 910-322-3418.
Survivor Outreach Services, which provides long-term support to the families of soldiers who died in service, is closed.
However, Fort Bragg’s United Services Organizations (USO) office on Normandy Drive and the Armed Services YMCA location on Rodney Trail are both open.
Soldier support programs
Most programs are still operating normally or with reduced staff, except the following:
- The Employment Readiness Group is closed.
- The Financial Readiness Program is only staffed with Army Emergency Relief counselors and will operate with limited hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
All programs under the Religious Support office, including emergency counseling and financial training, are available.
PCS services
Most permanent changes of station for civilian employees and military personnel are halted during the shutdown unless for an exempted activity, according to the Department of Defense’s contingency plan. Fort Bragg services and programs related to the moves are also closed, including:
- The Family Readiness Center, which helps families settle on post or transition to another.
- Mobilization, Deployment, and Support Stability Operations, which provides pre- and post-deployment support.
- The Relocation Readiness Program, another program that helps families plan their permanent change of station or settle on post.
- The Lending Closet, which provides household items like microwaves and dishes to families moving to Fort Bragg who are waiting for their personal shipments.
Museums
The U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum is closed indefinitely due to the shutdown, according to its Facebook page.
The 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum is also closed until further notice, according to its website.
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville.