By Michael Schindler.

Down to the wire. Are we going to raise the debt ceiling or are we going to default. That is the most pressing question for many in Congress. But if you are serving this country, the most immediate question is, “Will I get paid?” The answer is yes.

On Wednesday, July 13, House lawmakers introduced a bill to ensure that military personnel would continue to receive pay even if the national debt limit is not raised.

The legislation calls for emergency appropriations to pay the salaries and other allowances of active-duty servicemembers if the government faces a funding gap and defaults on its obligations. The Payment Reliability for our Obligations to Military and Investors to Secure Essential Stability (PROMISES) Act would prioritize the pay and allowances for all active-duty military personnel, including those in the Reserve, in the event of a government default.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the government will begin to default on Aug. 2 if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling; however other experts differ.

To review the bill, please go here. And you can learn more details in this story.

Michael Schindler, Navy veteran, and president of Edmonds-based Operation Military Family, is a guest writer for several national publications, author of the book “Operation Military Family” and “The Military Wire” blog. He is also a popular keynote and workshop speaker who reaches thousands of service members and their families every year through workshops and seminars that include  “How to Battle-Ready Your Relationship” or “What Your Mother-in-Law Didn’t Tell You.”  He received the 2010 Outstanding Patriotic Service Award from the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.