Federal shutdown hits Coast Guard, Prime Hook

The partial federal shutdown in Washington, D.C., means U.S. Coast Guardsmen at Indian River Inlet are working but did not expect to get their regular paychecks Dec. 28. Meanwhile, Milton’s Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge office is closed.

Coast Guard spokesperson Seth Johnson of Coast Guard District 5, which includes Delaware, said the 33 active duty personnel stationed at Indian River Inlet’s Coast Guard Station are working without pay.

“They are continuing to perform their duties and provide essential services,” Johnson said. “These include search and rescue of mariners in distress, homeland security and safety missions, law enforcement and environmental response.”

U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Chad Saylor said about 42,000 active-duty Coast Guard members are affected by the shutdown. The Coast Guard is the only military branch funded through Homeland Security; others are funded by the Defense Department, which has not been affected by the shutdown.

No one was furloughed, and all guard members will be working without pay if legislation is not passed, Saylor said.

Saylor said about 1,300 civilian employees continue to work in operations that provide national security or protect life and property, such as law enforcement, national security, and search and rescue.

Office doors are locked at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, which is funded by the Interior Department. Signs state the office is closed, but the public has not been prevented from entering the refuge.

The presence of a federal employee or contractor is not required for the public to access refuge lands, the sign reads, so activities on the refuge may continue on the same terms as before the shutdown. Activities based on a previously issued permit, such as hunting, will continue.

The sign warns that any entry onto the property during the shutdown is at the visitor's sole risk.

In all, nine federal departments are closed: Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development.

Editor’s note: Because of early holiday deadlines, this story was written and processed before the U.S. Coast Guard announced guardsmen would receive paychecks Dec. 28. According to the Coast Guard website, certain funds that remained available were used to meet payroll. The Cape Gazette will continue to report on and update this story.