President Donald Trump on Saturday reportedly ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use all available Defense Department funds to ensure that U.S. servicemembers receive their pay on time despite the ongoing government shutdown, placing the blame squarely on congressional Democrats for the lapse in funding.
“Troops will not receive their upcoming paychecks,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats of holding up payments. “That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.”
In a follow-up post, Trump added, “We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”
According to a Defense Department official, the Pentagon has located “approximately $8 billion of unobligated research development testing and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue mid-month paychecks to service members in the event the funding lapse continues past Oct. 15.” The official added that more details would be shared as they became available.
The decision reflects Trump’s long-standing emphasis on military readiness and his insistence that the troops not become “political hostages” amid Washington gridlock.
It also comes as Republican leaders in Congress continue to urge Democrats to back a stopgap spending bill that would keep the government funded and ensure the military is paid without interruption.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who has been negotiating with Democrats over the shutdown, said earlier this week that his continuing resolution — H.R. 5371 — was specifically designed to protect service members. “H.R. 5371 is the bill to pay our troops,” Johnson wrote on X. “No one in the military or any military family should have their pay blocked on October 15! Since the bill ALREADY PASSED THE HOUSE, a simple yes vote by five more Democrats on Tuesday would allow the military to be paid on Wednesday.”
Democrats and Republicans alike have voiced concern about the prospect of troops missing paychecks, but divisions over government spending have stalled movement in Congress. Two Democrats, Reps. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Derek Tran of California, wrote to Johnson urging him to bring lawmakers back to Washington to ensure pay continuity for service members. “If Congress does not act by October 15th, nearly three million military families will miss their next paycheck,” they wrote. “That’s unacceptable — our military families and troops deserve better.”
Republicans have echoed that sentiment while insisting Democrats are to blame for the impasse. “We can have policy and political fights in Congress, but we simply can’t ask service members to put themselves in harm’s way without paying them,” said Rep. Ken Calvert of California, who chairs the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “It should be a red line for anyone who cares about our national security and our troops.”
Trump endorsed Johnson’s bill as “something that probably will happen,” but said Democrats’ refusal to cooperate had forced him to act.
Johnson has maintained that no further votes will take place in the House until a funding bill passes, leaving Trump’s executive order as the immediate lifeline for millions of active-duty personnel.
By ordering the Pentagon to act unilaterally, Trump positioned himself once again as the defender of the military against what he calls Washington’s “reckless political gamesmanship.” His directive, coming just days before troops’ paychecks are due, underscores both his willingness to use executive authority and his strategy of contrasting Republican resolve with what he portrays as Democratic obstruction.
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