 "The U.S. Capitol is photographed Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo)")
Germany will pay around 11,000 local employees at US military bases whose salaries have been affected by the ongoing government shutdown in Washington, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.
“The federal government will initiate an unscheduled expenditure to ensure that October salaries are paid on time,” a ministry spokeswoman told AFP.
The trade union Verdi had warned that local staff might face missed pay, arguing that halting wages would violate German law, and called for a solution.
The ministry said it remains uncertain whether US payments will eventually arrive, but Berlin and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate agreed to cover salaries to prevent disruptions. Officials expect the US to reimburse the cost later.
The spokeswoman described the move as “a sign of solidarity with the US armed forces stationed in Germany and their civilian employees.”