Right now, in the wealthiest country on Earth, U.S. military families are lining up at food banks.

Due to the ongoing government shutdown and the deep financial uncertainty it’s created, food pantries across the country — especially those serving military communities — are experiencing unprecedented demand.

At Stronghold Food Pantry in Kansas, applications for help have increased ninefold. The Armed Services YMCA has reported a 30–34% surge in food need across its locations.

This should never be happening.

Military families already face unique burdens: frequent relocations, high spousal unemployment, long deployments, and lower base pay for junior service members. Shutdowns only make those burdens worse — and leave families wondering how to pay for groceries, housing, or life-saving medication for their children.

We, the undersigned, demand that Congress and the Department of Defense take immediate action to protect military families from food insecurity by:

• Creating a permanent emergency pay continuity program for military households during government shutdowns
• Establishing a dedicated fund to support nonprofit food providers that serve active-duty and veteran families
• Ensuring spouses of active-duty service members are eligible for emergency financial relief during federal furloughs
• Passing legislation to make military paychecks immune from political delays or shutdown bargaining
   

It should not fall on food banks and charity groups to catch families in uniform when the government fails them.

Our troops serve this country with honor. Their families hold it together on the home front. They should not be punished for political dysfunction.

This is not a partisan issue — it’s a moral one.