BELL COUNTY, Texas — The federal government could be heading toward a shutdown and the effects could be felt in Central Texas.
With more than 50,000 active-duty military personnel, civilian employees and contractors working on Fort Cavazos, a possible government shutdown in less than a week could be stressful for many.
”Active-duty personnel could actually miss the Oct. 15 paycheck and that would really affect a lot of military personnel,” said retired veteran, federal employee, and owner of Leaf Affair Cigar Lounge in Killeen, Jacobo Gaitan.
“As far as civilians, and me being a civilian for the military, we immediately stop getting paid, but we don’t go to work.”
Jacobo Gaitan is a retired U.S. Army veteran and civilian Aviation Maintenance Manager on Fort Cavazos.
Since he is also the owner of Leaf Affair Cigar Lounge in Killeen, he relies heavily on the money for soldiers and veterans for his business.
”Active-duty military is probably about 50 percent of my business, and maybe another 40 percent is probably retirees and civilians that work in the military,” Gaitain said.
This means his business will take a huge hit if there’s a shutdown, and Congress doesn’t create any kind of "carve-out" for military pay.
”When it looks like government is going to shut down for a while, somebody will put forth a bill that cuts out a certain percentage of money to be paid while the government is shut down, so the military gets paid,” said Associate Professor of Accounting at Texas A&M Central Texas, Dr. Rob Tennant.
This didn’t happen during the 2018 shutdown that lasted over a month — meaning the local economy could be severely impacted.
”Every business in the community relies on current and retired military personnel,” Dr. Tennant said.
“Whether they come eat at their restaurant, shop at their store, etcetera."
This isn’t the first government shutdown Gaitan has seen.
”The thing that I could hope is that they figure out what to do and approve a budget to continue operating soon,” Gaitan said.
Having gone through shutdowns as a soldier and civilian employee, Gaitan recommends reaching out to local VFW and other similar organizations for anyone needing assistance during a potential shutdown.
