President Trump Ensures Troops Will Be Paid During Shutdown
Washington – President Trump announced Saturday that he has instructed the Defense Department to use available resources to ensure that American troops receive their paychecks on Wednesday, despite the ongoing government shutdown.
In a statement, President Trump emphasized his commitment to the military, stating that our brave troops deserve their pay on time.
The President’s action addresses concerns about the potential impact of the shutdown on military families. However, the shutdown continues, affecting many federal employees.
President Trump placed the blame on Democrats, saying that he is using his power to direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to get our troops paid on October 15th. The President stated that funds have been located and that Secretary Hegseth will use them to pay our troops.
The possibility of service members missing their paychecks raised alarms as the government shutdown began on October 1st. The U.S. has roughly 1.3 million active-duty service members, and the prospect of them not being paid has been a key point in discussions about the shutdown’s negative effects.
While President Trump did not specify the source of the funds, the White House Office of Management and Budget indicated that Pentagon research and development funds would be used.
The Pentagon has identified roughly $8 billion in research, development, testing, and evaluation funds from the previous fiscal year that will be used to issue the mid-month paychecks, should the shutdown continue past October 15th.
The shutdown started on October 1st when Democrats turned down a short-term funding solution.
