The German Finance Ministry has announced plans to cover the salaries of roughly 11,000 local employees working for the U.S. Department of Defense at American bases across Germany, whose pay has been disrupted by the ongoing government shutdown in Washington. Berlin expects to be reimbursed once U.S. payments resume, with a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman describing the move as “a gesture of solidarity with the U.S. Armed Forces stationed in Germany and their civilian staff.”