Southern Colorado military members anxious they won’t be paid if the U.S. defaults on its debt

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Political disagreements on Capitol Hill over the nation's debt could have massive impacts on people here in southern Colorado, specifically military service members.

If lawmakers cannot agree on a deal to raise the debt ceiling and the U.S. defaults on their debt, there is a high possibility that soldiers won't be paid until the problem is resolved.

"We were willing to die for our country. Shouldn't you as a politician, as my president, as a Speaker of the House, shouldn't you be willing to sit down, negotiate and let us feed our families?" said Carole Engler, a veteran living in Colorado Springs.

Engler vividly remembers when the government shut down for 16 days in 2013 and she didn't receive a paycheck.

"The uncertainty is gray," said Engler. "You don't know where it begins, you don't know where it ends."

She's feeling anxiety yet again, crunching the numbers on how she would be affected if the government defaults on its debt.

"We have two retirement checks coming in, but they're military retirement checks," said Engler. "My husband works for the government, so that will be a paycheck that he doesn't get, and I'm a disabled vet, so that would be a disability check that I won't be able to get."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden are stuck in negotiations surrounding the country's $31.4 trillion debt.

If the U.S. defaults on its debt, there's the possibility of no government wages, no social security payments, and the loss of thousands of jobs.

Experts predict the U.S. Treasury will run out of funds to meet its financial obligations this summer if policymakers don't find a plan for the country's debt ceiling.