Newsbytes March 20, 2026

In this issue:
FRA Demands Coast Guard Pay Parity 
President Honors Six Service Members Killed  
New Commissary Bag Fees to Begin April 6
Written Inform Consent Survey

FRA Demands Coast Guard Pay Parity 
As Washington debated leadership and funding, Coast Guard families lived with uncertainty, and Coast Guard crews continued to answer the call without hesitation.
During a tense March 18 confirmation hearing for Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, lawmakers confronted the ongoing funding lapse affecting DHS agencies. The Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) submitted a formal Statement for the Record, urging Congress and DHS leadership to address a glaring inequity. While other military branches are protected during funding gaps, Coast Guard personnel are not. Roughly 41,200 active-duty members have now gone into a second month without guaranteed, on-time pay since the lapse began on February 14.

FRA described the situation as a “roller coaster” for Coast Guard families. Partial pay measures have offered limited relief, but many still face real consequences, including difficulty securing housing or maintaining credit without reliable income documentation. The message from FRA was clear. No one in uniform should ever be asked to serve without pay.

Even as this debate unfolded in Washington, the reality of Coast Guard service played out in dramatic fashion on March 15. In the middle of a whiteout blizzard on Lake Huron, the crew of the USCGC Mackinaw launched a high-risk rescue mission to save a stranded snowmobiler trapped on drifting ice near Mackinac Island, Michigan. With aerial support grounded due to severe weather, the crew maneuvered through dangerous ice conditions and sub-zero temperatures to bring the 55-year-old man to safety.

They did so while operating under the same funding lapse, performing a life-saving mission without certainty of their next paycheck.

This contrast highlights the core of FRA’s argument. Coast Guard personnel are not only members of the armed forces. They are also frontline first responders who routinely risk their lives under extreme conditions. Yet they remain uniquely vulnerable to funding disruptions that do not affect their military counterparts.

FRA is now using the Mackinaw rescue as a real-world example in its push for H.R. 5401, the Pay Our Troops Act. The legislation would ensure automatic pay protection for Coast Guard members during any lapse in appropriations.

The message to Congress is as direct as it is urgent. When Shipmates are standing the watch, whether in a Senate hearing spotlight or on a frozen, storm-lashed lake, their commitment never wavers. Their pay should not either.

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President Honors Six Service Members Killed  
President Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on March 18 to pay respects during the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a KC-135 refueling aircraft in western Iraq on March 16. The crew members, who were supporting operations in a highly contested region, were identified as being from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Washington state. 

This marks a sobering moment for the military community, as the U.S. death toll in recent regional hostilities has reached 13 this month. The President’s attendance at Dover emphasizes the high-stakes environment in which our active-duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel continue to operate. For the families of the fallen, this tragedy begins a long process of mourning and transition that requires the full support of the nation they served. 

FRA remains fiercely committed to protecting the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) and ensuring that the families of our fallen heroes receive every earned entitlement without bureaucratic delay. Following the successful elimination of the SBP/DIC offset in 2023, FRA continues to monitor implementation to ensure no new "poison pill" offsets are introduced. 

New Commissary Bag Fees to Begin April 6
Military families will soon see a small but noticeable change at the checkout line. Beginning April 6, 2026, commissaries operated by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) will start charging for single-use shopping bags. Customers will pay 5 cents for plastic bags and 10 cents for paper bags.

The move is aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency across the commissary system. Officials state that providing free bags currently costs approximately $17 million annually. Eliminating this expense is intended to help preserve the overall savings benefit commissaries offer to service members, veterans, and their families. Commissaries receive roughly $1.5 billion annually in taxpayer support and are designed to deliver groceries at prices about 25 percent lower than civilian stores. DeCA leadership notes that the bag fee is part of maintaining that mission while reducing operational expenses.

Shoppers are encouraged to bring reusable bags or purchase them in-store. This policy will also apply to curbside and delivery orders. The change will not affect locations in states and territories where single-use bags are already restricted, such as California, Washington, Hawaii, and Guam. FRA continues to monitor DeCA policies to ensure that cost-saving measures do not inadvertently degrade the overall value of the commissary benefit, which remains a cornerstone of military quality of life.

Your Health. Your Right to Know. Your Voice Matters.
You served with honor. You made decisions under pressure with full awareness of the risks. You deserve that same level of respect and transparency when it comes to your health care.

Right now, many veterans are prescribed powerful medications without full written disclosure of the risks, side effects, and alternatives. That needs to change.

H.R. 4837, the Written Informed Consent Act, is about putting control back in your hands.

This legislation expands existing protections so that written informed consent is required not just for long term opioid use, but also for medications like antidepressants, antipsychotics, stimulants, anxiolytics, and other narcotics.

That means:

You are fully informed before treatment begins
You understand the risks and alternatives
You have the power to make the right decision for your body and your future

This is about accountability. This is about transparency. This is about protecting those who have already given so much.

We need your voice.

Take a moment to complete this survey and stand in support of stronger protections for veterans like you. Your input helps drive real change and ensures that no veteran is left in the dark about their care.

You fought for this country. Now fight for your right to informed care.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY