(MENAFN) Italy has urged the United States to take immediate action to resolve delayed salary payments to Italian employees working at American military bases in the country, as the prolonged U.S. government shutdown continues to disrupt federal operations, according to official statements.

Roughly 2,000 Italian civilians—mostly stationed at Aviano Air Base and the Vicenza Army Base in the country’s northeast—did not receive their October wages, despite being employed under Italian labor contracts, the foreign ministry said Saturday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called on Washington and the U.S. embassy in Rome to move quickly to resolve the situation. “The foreign ministry has made a request to the US embassy in Rome, which confirmed that the US Army and US Air Force are examining with the Pentagon the possibility of using their own funds to pay the Italian employees,” the statement said.

The U.S. government shutdown, which began on October 1, has left many federal workers without pay, including essential personnel such as air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers who continue to work without compensation.

Now in its 40th day, the shutdown has become the longest in U.S. history, with no breakthrough in sight as Republicans and Democrats in the Senate remain locked in a standoff over funding to reopen federal agencies.

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