WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump told the Pentagon on Saturday that US military is paid nevertheless Wednesday government shutdown.
President Trump said in a social media post that he was acting because “our brave troops will miss out on the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.”
The Republican president’s actions remove one pressure point that could force Congress to act, likely extending the government shutdown, now in its 11th day, into its third week and beyond. But similar action is unlikely to be taken against federal employees. Thousands of those people are now laid off. While government operations stalled. The White House Budget Office began that process on Friday.
Trump accused Democrats of using his authority as commander in chief to direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “use all available funds to get our troops paid on October 15th.” The Republican president added: “We have identified funding to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use it to pay our troops.”
With the government shutting down on Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget cycle, U.S. service members were at risk of not receiving their next paycheck on Wednesday. There are about 1.3 million active-duty military members in the United States, and the possibility of soldiers going unpaid has been a focus as lawmakers on Capitol Hill debate the fallout of a government shutdown.
President Trump has not said where the money will come from, but it will likely come from the billions of dollars funneled to the Pentagon under his massive tax and spending cuts bill signed in the summer. The Congressional Budget Office said such a measure is possible.
“The government may also decide to use the mandatory funding sources provided in the Reconciliation Act of 2025 or other mandatory funding sources to continue activities funded by direct spending at various agencies,” CBO said.
CBO listed the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Homeland Security, and Office of Management and Budget as the departments that received specific funding under the Act.
A portion of the Pentagon funds “will be used to pay active duty personnel during the shutdown, reducing the number of excepted workers who receive delayed compensation,” CBO said in a letter in response to questions from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
The White House did not immediately respond to an email request for further details about the president’s announcement.
