Senator: Coast Guard personnel to be paid after all

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says 42,000 Coast Guard members nationwide are going to be paid for work performed before the government shutdown.

Collins contacted the White House on Friday after she learned that a payroll system problem would prevent checks from being issued. She tweeted hours later that the matter had been resolved and that Coast Guard members will receive paychecks like other federal employees on Monday.

A Coast Guard spokesman said operations are being scaled back during the shutdown to focus on search and rescue. Active-duty Coast Guard personnel are considered essential and remain on duty while most civilian workers are furloughed.

Collins said the Coast Guard is funded through a different mechanism that, unlike the rest of the military, lacks full-year 2019 appropriations.