Germany Foots the Bill for U.S. Troops as Washington Shuts Down

Germany will step in to pay around 11,000 local employees working at U.S. military bases whose paychecks have been affected by the government shutdown in Washington, the finance ministry said Wednesday.

“The federal government will initiate an unscheduled payment to ensure October salaries are issued on time,” a ministry spokeswoman announced.

The Verdi trade union said Tuesday that local staff had continued receiving pay during previous U.S. government shutdowns but voiced concern that the current Trump administration appeared poised to halt payments. The union argued that doing so would clearly breach German labor laws and urged both governments to find a swift solution to prevent missed wages.

The finance ministry spokeswoman told AFP on Wednesday that it remains uncertain whether U.S. funds might still be transferred despite the shutdown. To avoid any disruptions, the federal government in Berlin and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate reached an agreement to ensure salaries are paid.

According to the spokeswoman, Germany expects to be reimbursed once the U.S. resumes payments. She added that Berlin’s decision is “a sign of solidarity with the U.S. armed forces stationed in Germany and their civilian employees.”