When there is a failure to pass a budget or there is a debt limit impasse, the salaries of Congress and the President are not suspended while that of the military is.
The military is used during these times as a political pawn to push a partisan agenda.
The military is not a political pawn but rather an instrument of policy; a very sharp sophisticated instrument.
Instead of suspending the salaries of a the most professional and capable volunteer force on the planet, suspend those of Congress and the President.