Government Shutdown Impacts Overseas Military Bases, Causing Widespread Strain

The Government Shutdown’s Hidden Impact on Military Families Overseas

The ongoing government shutdown in Washington D.C. is casting a long shadow across American military installations worldwide, where thousands of civilian staff members continue working without pay while struggling to maintain essential services for military families.

Donna Irwin, a substitute teacher at a naval base in Italy, describes the situation as “absolutely terrible,” with school morale reaching new lows. “Especially out here, you feel forgotten,” she explains, highlighting the unique challenges faced by American personnel stationed abroad who support military operations.

While President Trump found a temporary solution to pay active-duty military personnel, civilian employees like teachers, administrative staff, and support personnel have been left in financial limbo as the political stalemate continues.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) operates an extensive network of 161 schools across 11 countries, seven states, and two territories, spanning 10 time zones. These institutions serve approximately 67,000 children from military families, employing over 14,000 staff members who now face significant financial uncertainty.

“We understand the difficulties this situation may create for our dedicated educators and staff who are working without pay,” said Jessica Tackaberry, DoDEA’s communications operations chief, in a statement to Fox News. She added that the department remains “committed to providing a world-class education” and “is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to provide guidance and support to employees as needed.”

The shutdown’s ripple effects are particularly acute for American civilians stationed overseas. Many are contractually prohibited from seeking second jobs off-base, eliminating a common financial safety net available to federal workers stateside. The situation is compounded by geographic isolation, with affected employees separated from extended family support networks by thousands of miles.

Some educators report dipping into personal savings to purchase classroom supplies and food for students. Irwin, who teaches special education, focuses on essential life skills like cooking and cleaning—activities that require materials she now purchases herself despite her own financial strain.

“I have no budget for any of that in my current classroom, so I’ve been having to go to the commissary myself and make do, trying to buy things that I can’t afford right now for these students who desperately need those life skills,” Irwin explained.

The financial impact extends beyond the classroom. Many affected employees are struggling to explain their situation to European landlords who don’t understand the concept of a government shutdown. With utility bills and rent payments coming due, some face difficult conversations about delayed payments in a foreign language and unfamiliar cultural context.

“We oftentimes forget about all those little auto-pay things we have—everything from streaming services to healthcare needs—and they’re having to do these deep dives into their bank accounts and cancel all of these, you know, car insurance, your vehicle,” Irwin noted.

Even in households where one spouse is military personnel still receiving pay, families report cutting back significantly. The Irwins, for example, have lost half their household income during the shutdown. Previous government shutdowns have shown that even after normal operations resume, back pay can take weeks to process, extending financial hardship well beyond the political resolution.

Perhaps most troubling for educators is witnessing the impact on their students. “I think the saddest thing for me is watching my students come in, and they don’t fully understand everything that’s happening with the government and with politics,” Irwin said. “To see them worried, to see them worry about, ‘Am I going to have a meal tomorrow, am I going to have a meal today?'”

Despite these challenges, DoDEA has maintained that athletics and co-curricular activities are considered “excepted activities” and will continue during the shutdown, attempting to preserve some semblance of normalcy for military children whose education has been caught in political crossfire thousands of miles from Washington.