By SUZANNE DOWNING
March 26, 2026 – Coast Guard leaders are warning that a prolonged Department of Homeland Security funding lapse is beginning to threaten basic supply chains for sailors and recruits, including food deliveries. The RNC pointed out today that Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola has not publicly taken a position on the shutdown, which is tantamount to complicity with Democrats who refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, the Coast Guard’s vice commandant, told lawmakers that vendors who provide food and other essential supplies may stop delivering because the service cannot pay contractors during the partial shutdown.
“We are not paying those vendors anymore. We’re worried that any day they’re going to stop showing up,” Allan said in congressional testimony describing the impacts of the funding lapse. The Coast Guard relies heavily on local suppliers to stock galleys for sailors and recruits, and prolonged payment delays could cause vendors to halt deliveries due to cash-flow concerns.
The shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security began Feb. 14 after Congress failed to pass appropriations, leaving the Coast Guard, which operates under DHS rather than the Department of Defense, uniquely exposed among the military services. Essential missions continue, but thousands of contractors are going unpaid, maintenance has been deferred, and supply chains are increasingly strained.
Allan also warned lawmakers that shutdowns create long-lasting operational damage, estimating it takes roughly 2.5 days to recover for every day of funding lapse due to payment backlogs, delayed maintenance, and administrative disruptions.
The warnings have drawn political attention in Alaska, where Coast Guard operations play a major role in maritime safety, fisheries enforcement, and Arctic presence.
Republicans criticized former Alaska US Rep. Mary Peltola, now a candidate for Senate, for not publicly stating where she stands on the shutdown or calling for immediate DHS funding.
“41 days in, Mary Peltola’s continued silence means she is 100% for the shutdown that is threatening to starve our sailors,” said RNC spokesman Nick Poche. “Her cowardly refusal to do what’s right for Alaska and tell Democrats to fund DHS is a shameful disgrace, but not surprising coming from a D.C. swamp lobbyist who sold out the second she got to Washington.”
Campaign messaging around the shutdown has intensified as the standoff drags on, with both parties blaming each other for the impasse. The funding dispute centers largely on immigration enforcement policies and broader DHS spending priorities.
The Coast Guard’s situation is distinct because, unlike the other armed services funded through the Pentagon, it falls under DHS in peacetime. That structure means Coast Guard operations continue during a shutdown, but contractors, civilian workers, and supply vendors often go unpaid until Congress restores funding.
Allan has warned that repeated shutdowns erode morale, disrupt readiness, and strain relationships with small businesses that supply food, fuel, and services, many of which cannot afford prolonged payment delays.
As the shutdown continues, pressure is mounting on federal officials and candidates alike to weigh in, particularly in Alaska, where Coast Guard presence is central to coastal communities and maritime industries.
One thought on “Coast Guard supply chain now threatened by Democrats, while Peltola maintains silence on shutdown”
We shouldn’t be this government dependent that bad actors in Congress would use government employees as bargaining chips for political power