October 2, 2025 • 15 mins
When Washington shuts down, the headlines talk about politics. But at kitchen tables in Kansas, California, and overseas bases, it’s military and veteran families who feel it first.
In this episode, Jim Detjen unpacks the gap between the story we’re told and the reality families live — from furloughed civilians to unpaid Border Patrol agents, to kids wondering why “back pay later” doesn’t buy Pop-Tarts tonight.
Featuring reporting from CBS and Reuters, the voices of families, and a simple metaphor — the “Three Buckets” — that explains the shutdown better than any press conference. Plus, why Blue Star Families is leading the fight to pass the Pay Our Troops Act… and how you can #SpotTheGaslight in the way shutdowns get sold to us.
Stay sharp. Stay skeptical. #SpotTheGaslight
Read and reflect at Gaslight360.com/clarity
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Wichita, Kansas.
(00:01):
Payday, minus two.
Dad opens the fridge.
Light flickers.
Pickles.
Catch up.
One sad Tupperware no onetrusts.
He's a retired Air Force crewchief.
32 years.
Now a civilian contractor onbase.
Or rather, was.
(00:22):
His badge stopped workingyesterday.
Shut down.
Mom, also a vet, scrolls themortgage app like it might
sprout a skip button.
It doesn't.
Their daughter, married to anactive duty airman, texts, Do we
still pay daycare if his checkdoesn't land?
Their son, a border patrolagent, sends a shrug emoji.
(00:42):
Essential.
Which is bureaucrat code for youwork.
You just don't get paid yet.
Three generations, one family,different uniforms, same kitchen
table.
And here's the question.
If America calls them essential,why is their paycheck optional?
We're told it's temporary.
We're told it's sharedsacrifice.
(01:05):
We're told it's just politics.
But daycare doesn't acceptshared sacrifice.
Banks don't accept temporary,and groceries don't wait for
politics.
Today, shutdowns, militaryfamilies, and the gaslight
between the words and thereality.
I'm Jim Detchen, and this isThink First.
(01:31):
This is Think First, where wedon't follow the script.
We question it.
Because in a world full ofpoetic truths and professional
gaslighting, someone's gotta saythe quiet part out loud.
Most people assume troops areimmune to shutdowns.
Reality check, the missioncontinues.
(01:52):
Paychecks don't, they serve.
The money stalls.
Back pay later.
That's the promise.
But later doesn't cover latefees.
Later doesn't keep the lightson.
Stat.
One in three military familieshas less than$3,000 in savings.
That's not a cushion.
That's a pothole.
One missed check, and the carhits bottom.
(02:15):
Shutdowns ripple, commissarieswobble, daycare shrinks, spouse
programs vanish, civilianworkers locked out.
So here are the real questions.
If the mission never pauses, whyshould the paycheck?
Why is temporary framed aspainless when it wrecks savings
accounts?
And is the Pay Our Troops Act areal fix or just a PR patch?
(02:38):
Enter Blue Star families.
They've launched a shutdownsupport hub, webinars, guidance,
real help.
They're also circulating acoalition letter.
Pass the Pay Our Troops Act.
This isn't about politics, it'sabout whether the people we call
essential are treated that way.
(03:00):
Shutdowns come wrapped inslogans.
Shared sacrifice.
Who's sharing?
Not Congress.
They still get paid.
Belt tightening.
Whose belt?
The captain downgrading dinner?
Or the appropriator at CapitolGrill?
Non-essential doesn't meanunimportant.
It means legally barred fromworking.
(03:21):
Imagine telling a base mechanic,sir, your job's important.
You just can't touch the wrench.
And temporary pain?
Temporary lasts exactly onemortgage cycle too long.
Shutdowns aren't accidents.
They're leverage.
But pressure's supposed to hitpoliticians, not kids'
lunchboxes.
Patterns repeat.
(03:43):
Uniformed personnel.
Work unpaid.
Civilians, half furloughed, halfaccepted.
All but unpaid.
DHS, Coast Guard, Border Patrol,TSA, Essential, but unpaid.
Bases.
Commissaries may be open, butspouse programs shudder.
(04:04):
Different labels.
Same stress.
Essential means we can't do thiswithout you.
And also, we won't pay you yet.
Leadership points fingers at fatgenerals.
Meanwhile, families are countingpop-tarts.
That's not oversight.
That's distraction.
(04:27):
Scene 1.
Kansas Gate.
7.03 a.m.
McConnell Air Force Base.
Badge scans green.
Feels normal.
At the office?
Red light.
Locked out.
Furloughed.
Not allowed to work.
Not allowed to volunteer.
Even unpaid help is a crime.
Tagline.
Shutdowns don't just cut pay,they cut dignity.
(04:50):
Scene 2.
Coast Guard in Kodiak.
Storm briefing.
Boats rolling.
He checks his bank app.
$14.99.
Crew jokes.
Guess the storm surge has ahigher balance than we do.
Tagline.
Nature doesn't stop forshutdowns.
Neither does Visa.
(05:11):
Scene 3.
Child care math.
Fort Riley.
Spouse drops toddler.
CDC hours cut.
Two kids.
One shift change.
Three favors from neighbors.
Tagline.
Shut down algebra.
Two jobs minus one daycareequals chaos.
Scene four.
Pantry versus commissary.
(05:32):
Ramstein.
Shelves stocked.
Lights on.
But a spouse still calls thepantry hotline.
Why?
Because back pay is monopolymoney until it arrives.
Tagline.
Shut down math.
Groceries are due today.
Paychecks are due eventually.
Scene 5.
(05:52):
Split screen family.
Dad.
Furloughed non-essential.
Son.
Border patrol.
Essential.
Daughter.
Military spouse with bracing forno check.
Three labels.
One family.
Same stress.
Tagline.
Washington counts departments.
Families count dinners.
(06:14):
You've heard the math fromKansas, Kodiak, and Ramstein.
Different regions, differentuniforms, same collapse, but
maybe you're thinking, okay,Jim, those are stories.
What about hard numbers?
That's where local news stepsin.
Not the press conferences, notthe floor speeches.
It's the reporters who walk thebase gates and ask families what
(06:35):
they're facing this week.
Here's CBS Sacramento, reportingfrom Travis Air Force Base.
SPEAKER_01 (06:42):
Yeah, live outside the gates of Travis Air Force
Base, where some 20,000 membersof the military and civilian
staff are now left in limbo overthis government shutdown, and
local businesses are alreadyfeeling the impact.
(07:14):
Where owner Cammy Johnson says90% of her customers work at
Travis Air Force Base and are nolonger getting paid during the
government shutdown.
She says it feels like the COVIDshutdown.
SPEAKER_03 (07:25):
So if I can make it through the pandemic, I'm going
to take out those resources andall the notes that I had during
that time, and we're going to goback to that and we're going to
use that as our reference guidemoving forward.
So I'm not going to get caughtjust like, oh my God, what is it
that we're going to do?
Because I came into thissituation where the world was
shut down.
SPEAKER_01 (07:42):
How long this will go, I don't know.
Congressmember John Garamendirepresents Fairfield and says
there are 10,000 members of themilitary and 10,000 civilians
and their dependents on thisbase no longer getting paid
during the shutdown.
SPEAKER_02 (07:56):
People begin worrying about the paycheck.
How am I going to pay the rent?
SPEAKER_01 (08:03):
A spokesperson for Travis Air Force Base released a
statement reading in partmembers who find themselves in
financial difficulties shouldnotify their supervisor, first
sergeant, and commander who canprovide information on financial
aid.
Travis Air Force Base operationsare continuing during the
shutdown as a maintransportation hub for munitions
going to Europe and eventuallyUkraine.
(08:25):
This government shutdown.
Only the tough survive.
Also shifting concern toFairfield families and
businesses.
And again, this is only day oneof the shutdown.
The business owner there, CammyJohnson, says she has already
started to feel the differencein fewer people coming in.
The longest government shutdown,by the way, was back in 2017.
(08:46):
That lasted 35 days.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
For just$0 down, you too can work without pay.
Back pay guaranteed.
Eventually.
Operators are standing by.
Unpaid, of course.
That's the pitch.
Now the steel man.
Shutdowns force compromise.
True.
Pressure moves politics.
(09:28):
Troops get back pay.
Also true, eventually.
Families should prepare.
Sure, in theory.
But try these at dinner.
Parent.
Don't worry.
It's temporary.
Kid.
So's my phone bill.
Wanna tell Verizon that?
Parent.
You'll get back pay.
The kid.
(09:49):
Cool.
Can back pay to buy Pop Tartstonight?
Parent.
Families should prepare.
The kid.
Prepare what?
My piggy bank?
The three buckets.
Bucket A, work.
Always full.
Troops, border agents, the CoastGuard.
(10:09):
Work doesn't stop.
Bucket B, pay.
Supposed to match A.
But in shutdowns, they poke ahole.
Money drips late.
Families catch drops in mugs.
Bucket C excuses.
Overflowing with words.
Temporary.
Shared sacrifice.
(10:30):
Back pay later.
Pretty speeches.
But words don't buy diapers.
The gaslight.
Fill bucket C while pretending Bis fine.
The poetic truth.
Back pay later is not the sameas pay on time.
The Pay Our Troops Act?
Just plumbing.
If A stays full, B stays full.
No leaks.
(10:51):
No IOUs.
So, where does this road lead?
Two paths.
Path 1, the Act passes.
Congress acts, President signs,families exhale, payday lands,
relief.
But cracks remain, spouseprograms furloughed, civilians
unpaid, morale bruised.
(11:12):
Path 2.
Shutdowns normalize.
Banks roll out glossy shutdownloans.
Food pantries expand.
The patch becomes the policy.
That's when you know the woundis permanent.
This isn't budget math, it'srespect math.
Essential should mean pay, notIOUs.
As I argue in distorted, this ispoetic truth.
(11:34):
The story, everyone will be madewhole.
The reality (11:37):
bills and stress no refund covers.
It's the cracked latte cup.
The lid looks fine, but it leaksanyway.
You don't need all the answers,but you should question the ones
you're handed.
If you're a military or veteranfamily in the squeeze, check the
Blue Star Family's shutdown hubat blue starfam.org.
(12:01):
If you're civilian, you canstill help.
Share a meal, watch a neighbor'skids.
Small things matter when bigsystems wobble.
Because shutdowns don't hit thegovernment.
They hit kitchens, they hitdaycare, they hit late-night gas
stops.
And here's the part no oneadmits.
Shutdowns don't really stopgovernment.
They just stop the parts youactually notice.
(12:23):
The IRS still remembers you.
The TSA still pats you down.
Congress still caches checks ontime.
It's like a magic trick wherethey pull the tablecloth and
somehow only your dinner crashesto the floor.
And that's the gaslight.
They call it a pause.
But for families, it's not apause, it's a pothole with no
(12:45):
warning cones.
That's why I wrote distorted.
Because half of what we're toldin moments like this is theater,
the other half is just badimprov.
So if you want the survivalmanual for spotting this stuff,
grab distorted.
It's cheaper than your overdraftfee, funnier than a C-SPAN
hearing, and unlike backpay, itactually shows up on time.
(13:06):
I'm Jim Detchen.
This is Think First.
Until next time, stay skeptical,stay curious, and always Think
First.
Want more?
The full six-step framework weuse is at gaslight360.com.
You can also dive into thedeeper story, the bio, the
(13:28):
podcast, and the mission atgymdechen.com.
And if you like this one, tagit, save it, share it.
And, yes, I know.
I've mentioned my book Distortedmore than once in this episode.
Probably enough times thatyou're wondering if Congress is
paying me by the plug.
Spoiler, they're not.
(13:49):
But here's the thing.
It really does make sense tograb it.
It's cheaper than a gymmembership, outlasts most diets,
and explains why the nationaldialogue feels like running on a
treadmill, stuck at a 10-degreeincline.
The Early Access DigitalEditions Live Now, Amazon,
Barnes, and Noble, and theextended hardcover lands
(14:09):
February 10th, 2026.
So if I'm going to repeatmyself, at least it's about
something that shows up on time.
Unlike your paycheck in ashutdown.
Wichita, Kansas.
(00:01):
Payday, minus two.
Dad opens the fridge.
Light flickers.
Pickles.
Catch up.
One sad Tupperware no onetrusts.
He's a retired Air Force crewchief.
32 years.
Now a civilian contractor onbase.
Or rather, was.
(00:22):
His badge stopped workingyesterday.
Shut down.
Mom, also a vet, scrolls themortgage app like it might
sprout a skip button.
It doesn't.
Their daughter, married to anactive duty airman, texts, Do we
still pay daycare if his checkdoesn't land?
Their son, a border patrolagent, sends a shrug emoji.
(00:42):
Essential.
Which is bureaucrat code for youwork.
You just don't get paid yet.
Three generations, one family,different uniforms, same kitchen
table.
And here's the question.
If America calls them essential,why is their paycheck optional?
We're told it's temporary.
We're told it's sharedsacrifice.
(01:05):
We're told it's just politics.
But daycare doesn't acceptshared sacrifice.
Banks don't accept temporary,and groceries don't wait for
politics.
Today, shutdowns, militaryfamilies, and the gaslight
between the words and thereality.
I'm Jim Detchen, and this isThink First.
(01:31):
This is Think First, where wedon't follow the script.
We question it.
Because in a world full ofpoetic truths and professional
gaslighting, someone's gotta saythe quiet part out loud.
Most people assume troops areimmune to shutdowns.
Reality check, the missioncontinues.
(01:52):
Paychecks don't, they serve.
The money stalls.
Back pay later.
That's the promise.
But later doesn't cover latefees.
Later doesn't keep the lightson.
Stat.
One in three military familieshas less than$3,000 in savings.
That's not a cushion.
That's a pothole.
One missed check, and the carhits bottom.
(02:15):
Shutdowns ripple, commissarieswobble, daycare shrinks, spouse
programs vanish, civilianworkers locked out.
So here are the real questions.
If the mission never pauses, whyshould the paycheck?
Why is temporary framed aspainless when it wrecks savings
accounts?
And is the Pay Our Troops Act areal fix or just a PR patch?
(02:38):
Enter Blue Star families.
They've launched a shutdownsupport hub, webinars, guidance,
real help.
They're also circulating acoalition letter.
Pass the Pay Our Troops Act.
This isn't about politics, it'sabout whether the people we call
essential are treated that way.
(03:00):
Shutdowns come wrapped inslogans.
Shared sacrifice.
Who's sharing?
Not Congress.
They still get paid.
Belt tightening.
Whose belt?
The captain downgrading dinner?
Or the appropriator at CapitolGrill?
Non-essential doesn't meanunimportant.
It means legally barred fromworking.
(03:21):
Imagine telling a base mechanic,sir, your job's important.
You just can't touch the wrench.
And temporary pain?
Temporary lasts exactly onemortgage cycle too long.
Shutdowns aren't accidents.
They're leverage.
But pressure's supposed to hitpoliticians, not kids'
lunchboxes.
Patterns repeat.
(03:43):
Uniformed personnel.
Work unpaid.
Civilians, half furloughed, halfaccepted.
All but unpaid.
DHS, Coast Guard, Border Patrol,TSA, Essential, but unpaid.
Bases.
Commissaries may be open, butspouse programs shudder.
(04:04):
Different labels.
Same stress.
Essential means we can't do thiswithout you.
And also, we won't pay you yet.
Leadership points fingers at fatgenerals.
Meanwhile, families are countingpop-tarts.
That's not oversight.
That's distraction.
(04:27):
Scene 1.
Kansas Gate.
7.03 a.m.
McConnell Air Force Base.
Badge scans green.
Feels normal.
At the office?
Red light.
Locked out.
Furloughed.
Not allowed to work.
Not allowed to volunteer.
Even unpaid help is a crime.
Tagline.
Shutdowns don't just cut pay,they cut dignity.
(04:50):
Scene 2.
Coast Guard in Kodiak.
Storm briefing.
Boats rolling.
He checks his bank app.
$14.99.
Crew jokes.
Guess the storm surge has ahigher balance than we do.
Tagline.
Nature doesn't stop forshutdowns.
Neither does Visa.
(05:11):
Scene 3.
Child care math.
Fort Riley.
Spouse drops toddler.
CDC hours cut.
Two kids.
One shift change.
Three favors from neighbors.
Tagline.
Shut down algebra.
Two jobs minus one daycareequals chaos.
Scene four.
Pantry versus commissary.
(05:32):
Ramstein.
Shelves stocked.
Lights on.
But a spouse still calls thepantry hotline.
Why?
Because back pay is monopolymoney until it arrives.
Tagline.
Shut down math.
Groceries are due today.
Paychecks are due eventually.
Scene 5.
(05:52):
Split screen family.
Dad.
Furloughed non-essential.
Son.
Border patrol.
Essential.
Daughter.
Military spouse with bracing forno check.
Three labels.
One family.
Same stress.
Tagline.
Washington counts departments.
Families count dinners.
(06:14):
You've heard the math fromKansas, Kodiak, and Ramstein.
Different regions, differentuniforms, same collapse, but
maybe you're thinking, okay,Jim, those are stories.
What about hard numbers?
That's where local news stepsin.
Not the press conferences, notthe floor speeches.
It's the reporters who walk thebase gates and ask families what
(06:35):
they're facing this week.
Here's CBS Sacramento, reportingfrom Travis Air Force Base.
SPEAKER_01 (06:42):
Yeah, live outside the gates of Travis Air Force
Base, where some 20,000 membersof the military and civilian
staff are now left in limbo overthis government shutdown, and
local businesses are alreadyfeeling the impact.
(07:14):
Where owner Cammy Johnson says90% of her customers work at
Travis Air Force Base and are nolonger getting paid during the
government shutdown.
She says it feels like the COVIDshutdown.
SPEAKER_03 (07:25):
So if I can make it through the pandemic, I'm going
to take out those resources andall the notes that I had during
that time, and we're going to goback to that and we're going to
use that as our reference guidemoving forward.
So I'm not going to get caughtjust like, oh my God, what is it
that we're going to do?
Because I came into thissituation where the world was
shut down.
SPEAKER_01 (07:42):
How long this will go, I don't know.
Congressmember John Garamendirepresents Fairfield and says
there are 10,000 members of themilitary and 10,000 civilians
and their dependents on thisbase no longer getting paid
during the shutdown.
SPEAKER_02 (07:56):
People begin worrying about the paycheck.
How am I going to pay the rent?
SPEAKER_01 (08:03):
A spokesperson for Travis Air Force Base released a
statement reading in partmembers who find themselves in
financial difficulties shouldnotify their supervisor, first
sergeant, and commander who canprovide information on financial
aid.
Travis Air Force Base operationsare continuing during the
shutdown as a maintransportation hub for munitions
going to Europe and eventuallyUkraine.
(08:25):
This government shutdown.
Only the tough survive.
Also shifting concern toFairfield families and
businesses.
And again, this is only day oneof the shutdown.
The business owner there, CammyJohnson, says she has already
started to feel the differencein fewer people coming in.
The longest government shutdown,by the way, was back in 2017.
(08:46):
That lasted 35 days.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
For just$0 down, you too can work without pay.
Back pay guaranteed.
Eventually.
Operators are standing by.
Unpaid, of course.
That's the pitch.
Now the steel man.
Shutdowns force compromise.
True.
Pressure moves politics.
(09:28):
Troops get back pay.
Also true, eventually.
Families should prepare.
Sure, in theory.
But try these at dinner.
Parent.
Don't worry.
It's temporary.
Kid.
So's my phone bill.
Wanna tell Verizon that?
Parent.
You'll get back pay.
The kid.
(09:49):
Cool.
Can back pay to buy Pop Tartstonight?
Parent.
Families should prepare.
The kid.
Prepare what?
My piggy bank?
The three buckets.
Bucket A, work.
Always full.
Troops, border agents, the CoastGuard.
(10:09):
Work doesn't stop.
Bucket B, pay.
Supposed to match A.
But in shutdowns, they poke ahole.
Money drips late.
Families catch drops in mugs.
Bucket C excuses.
Overflowing with words.
Temporary.
Shared sacrifice.
(10:30):
Back pay later.
Pretty speeches.
But words don't buy diapers.
The gaslight.
Fill bucket C while pretending Bis fine.
The poetic truth.
Back pay later is not the sameas pay on time.
The Pay Our Troops Act?
Just plumbing.
If A stays full, B stays full.
No leaks.
(10:51):
No IOUs.
So, where does this road lead?
Two paths.
Path 1, the Act passes.
Congress acts, President signs,families exhale, payday lands,
relief.
But cracks remain, spouseprograms furloughed, civilians
unpaid, morale bruised.
(11:12):
Path 2.
Shutdowns normalize.
Banks roll out glossy shutdownloans.
Food pantries expand.
The patch becomes the policy.
That's when you know the woundis permanent.
This isn't budget math, it'srespect math.
Essential should mean pay, notIOUs.
As I argue in distorted, this ispoetic truth.
(11:34):
The story, everyone will be madewhole.
The reality (11:37):
bills and stress no refund covers.
It's the cracked latte cup.
The lid looks fine, but it leaksanyway.
You don't need all the answers,but you should question the ones
you're handed.
If you're a military or veteranfamily in the squeeze, check the
Blue Star Family's shutdown hubat blue starfam.org.
(12:01):
If you're civilian, you canstill help.
Share a meal, watch a neighbor'skids.
Small things matter when bigsystems wobble.
Because shutdowns don't hit thegovernment.
They hit kitchens, they hitdaycare, they hit late-night gas
stops.
And here's the part no oneadmits.
Shutdowns don't really stopgovernment.
They just stop the parts youactually notice.
(12:23):
The IRS still remembers you.
The TSA still pats you down.
Congress still caches checks ontime.
It's like a magic trick wherethey pull the tablecloth and
somehow only your dinner crashesto the floor.
And that's the gaslight.
They call it a pause.
But for families, it's not apause, it's a pothole with no
(12:45):
warning cones.
That's why I wrote distorted.
Because half of what we're toldin moments like this is theater,
the other half is just badimprov.
So if you want the survivalmanual for spotting this stuff,
grab distorted.
It's cheaper than your overdraftfee, funnier than a C-SPAN
hearing, and unlike backpay, itactually shows up on time.
(13:06):
I'm Jim Detchen.
This is Think First.
Until next time, stay skeptical,stay curious, and always Think
First.
Want more?
The full six-step framework weuse is at gaslight360.com.
You can also dive into thedeeper story, the bio, the
(13:28):
podcast, and the mission atgymdechen.com.
And if you like this one, tagit, save it, share it.
And, yes, I know.
I've mentioned my book Distortedmore than once in this episode.
Probably enough times thatyou're wondering if Congress is
paying me by the plug.
Spoiler, they're not.
(13:49):
But here's the thing.
It really does make sense tograb it.
It's cheaper than a gymmembership, outlasts most diets,
and explains why the nationaldialogue feels like running on a
treadmill, stuck at a 10-degreeincline.
The Early Access DigitalEditions Live Now, Amazon,
Barnes, and Noble, and theextended hardcover lands
(14:09):
February 10th, 2026.
So if I'm going to repeatmyself, at least it's about
something that shows up on time.
Unlike your paycheck in ashutdown.
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