Trump authorizes payment of troop salaries amid government shutdown
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will direct Defense Department officials to pay military personnel next week, despite the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“I am using my authority, as Commander-in-Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to pay our troops on October 15,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “We have designated funds to do so, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to pay our troops.”
This comes as Trump administration officials and lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns that military members will not receive their paychecks on October 15 due to the shutdown, which has continued for 10 days so far.
Defense Department representatives did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment on Saturday.
The Office of Management and Budget has sent notification to Congress about their intention to use research and development funds to pay military personnel, two sources with direct knowledge told NBC News.
A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use R&D funds and that there are funds available for two years within the Department of Defense.
In the Social Truth post, Trump blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown, writing: “If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our brave troops will lose their well-deserved paychecks on October 15th.”
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In several votes over the past week, Senate lawmakers were unable to reach the 60-vote threshold on a stopgap funding measure that would reopen the government.
In September, the House — with all Republicans voting in favor and all but one Democrat voting against — passed a temporary funding bill that would keep the government open and operating at previous funding levels until November 21.
Not enough Senate Democrats joined Republicans in voting for this bill. Instead, Senate Democratic leadership has proposed a stopgap funding measure that would keep the government open through the end of October and restore cuts to Medicaid that the GOP passed in a landmark domestic policy package earlier this year.
The Democratic-backed package would also extend federal support for recipients of the Affordable Care Act, which is set to expire at the end of this year. Republicans did not join Democrats to pass the measure.
On Friday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that he expects the White House will find a way to pay troops in a timely manner so they can be paid on October 15.
“I think, to their credit, the White House has now paused for 10 days from doing anything in hopes that enough Democrats in the Senate will come to their senses and do the right thing and fund the government. But now that we’re getting these things where people are going to start losing their paychecks, it’s becoming real.”
The majority leader added: “This applies to families, a lot of military families who live paycheck to paycheck, a lot of American families who live paycheck to paycheck, who are federal employees. And so I think the White House, I expect, yes, they will start making some decisions about how to move the money.”
Later Friday, the Trump administration began laying off thousands of federal employees across multiple federal agencies.
On Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, confronted a military spouse over the phone while taking calls from viewers on C-SPAN. She claimed that her family would not be able to afford their children’s treatment without receiving a salary on October 15.
The caller told Johnson, “If we see a pay dip on the 15th, my kids won’t be able to get the medicine they need to live their lives, because we’re living paycheck to paycheck.”
Johnson told the caller that he was “angry about situations just like yours.” “The Democrats are the ones preventing you from getting the check,” he added.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the House and Senate last week pushed for votes on standalone legislation that would ensure troops would receive pay during the federal government shutdown.
On Friday, Johnson told House lawmakers that no votes are expected next week, extending the amount of time House lawmakers have spent away from Washington.
“Republicans have completely abdicated their responsibility to govern by canceling votes in the House for the third week in a row. Instead of voting on legislation to reopen the government, pay our troops and address the GOP health care crisis, they are staying on vacation,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a letter to colleagues on Saturday.