Pentagon Says It Will Continue To Defend US If Government Shuts Down

By David Vergun

Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass an appropriations bill before government funding lapses, triggering a partial shutdown.

“We will make sure that the capabilities, the resources, the people are in place to continue to look after our national security interests” in the event of a shutdown, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.

The Defense Department — in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget — is reviewing plans for a potential shutdown, Kirby said, adding that he hopes Congress can come to an agreement before the deadline.

In other news, Kirby said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III next week will visit Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, to look at the facilities that are supporting the Department of Homeland Security’s screening and resettlement efforts for Afghan evacuees.

The secretary will also visit the troops who are supporting that effort, and it’s likely he will meet with some of the Afghans, Kirby said.

The department is committed to providing humane conditions for evacuees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and at seven other installations where they’re being processed on their journeys to new lives in America, he added.