The failure to pay October salaries to Italian employees at some US bases in Italy, linked to the current federal government shutdown, is the subject of several actions taken by the Foreign Ministry. At the request of Minister Antonio Tajani, discussions have begun in Rome and Washington with the U.S. Embassy and the State Department to emphasize the need to immediately find a solution, even a temporary one, regardless of the end of the shutdown.
The non-payment of salaries is due to the fact that the United States has been in shutdown since 1 October. This is currently the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Approximately 750,000 federal employees have been placed on temporary unpaid leave (“furlough”). Those required to provide basic services shall do so without receiving their pay, which will be reinstated only when Congress adopts the aforementioned refinancing.
With a National Security Presidential Memorandum dated 15 October, President Trump ordered the use of Department of Defense (DoD) funds, previously allocated by Congress and still available, to ensure regular pay for active-duty military personnel and reservists.
Civilians employed at U.S. military bases abroad, however, are not eligible for regular pay. Concrete decisions, on a case-by-case basis, are left to the discretion of the Armed Forces to which each base belongs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has submitted a request to the U.S. Embassy in Rome, which confirmed that the U.S. Army and Air Force are examining with the Pentagon the possibility of using their own funds to pay Italian employees.
In Italy, approximately 2,000 Italian employees at U.S. bases, mostly stationed in Aviano (USAF) and Vicenza (U.S. Army), did not receive their salaries in October, even though their work is regulated by Italian law. Conversely, employees at U.S. Navy-controlled bases, such as Naples, have received regular paychecks, thanks to a different set of rules and regulations adopted by the Navy in managing its budget.