JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 Thousands of local military service members are at risk of missing a paycheck with the government appearing to be headed towards a shutdown Wednesday. <\/p>\n
With at least four major military installations here in Northeast Florida and another in Southeast Georgia, 68,000 civilian and military employees could be impacted by a shutdown \u2014 and that\u2019s just in Duval County. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be required to continue to work without pay,\u201d said US Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL 5th District)<\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Rutherford explained the impact of a government shutdown goes beyond lost pay.<\/p>\n Elective surgeries, counseling and other services also stand to be paused for service members.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd look, this is going to affect 335,000 DOD personnel,\u201d said Rutherford.<\/p>\n Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL 6th District) is cosponsoring legislation that would ensure military members continue receiving a paycheck during government shutdowns, but with the House out until at least Friday, it can\u2019t pass before the looming deadline.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people will still get paid in the event of a shutdown, just not members of the military and this would fix that, but I don\u2019t know that it will fix it – it can\u2019t fix it before the problem begins,\u201d said Fine.<\/p>\n But there are options available to active-duty military to help get them through a shutdown.<\/p>\n \u201cTo ensure their financial security and to help them continue to meet their day-to-day needs,\u201d said Daniel Diaz, a spokesperson for USAA.<\/p>\n Diaz explained USAA offers stop gap loans<\/a> at no interest during shutdowns to make up for lost paychecks.<\/p>\n Several other financial institutions like Navy Federal<\/a> <\/a>and VyStar Credit Unions<\/a> offer similar programs as well.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/b>Potential government shutdown: What will be affected?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n