Summary
- Trump
vows the military will be paid despite the government shutdown. - Directed
Defense Secretary Hegseth to use available funds. - Military
pay scheduled for October 15, even without new appropriations.
President Trump stated he has
given Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth permission to use “identified
funds” to pay the soldiers in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, October
11.
Military personnel risked missing
a check on October 15 during the government shutdown, which started on October
1. Trump had, however, stated on October 9 that military personnel would not be
denied their paychecks, alluding to potential standalone legislation that would
provide for soldier payments during the shutdown.
Due to the closure, federal civil
servants were anticipated to get lower paychecks on October 10.
Trump’s post on Truth Social,
posted at 1:35 p.m. ET, read:
“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. We have identified
funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS. I will
not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our
Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown.”
In addition to hundreds of
thousands of National Guard troops and non-service members working
for the Department of War, the approximately 1.3 million active-duty members
who comprise the U.S. military will not be compensated if something is not done
during the shutdown.
The Pentagon previously informed
USA TODAY that military personnel will not be paid again until funding are
restored, despite the fact that their final payment was made on Tuesday,
September 30, as planned.
The confrontation between a woman
posing as a military wife and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, during a
C-Span call-in program on October 9 was one of the shutdown’s most poignant
moments.
“As a Republican, I’m very
disappointed in my party, and I’m very disappointed in you, because you have
the power to call the House back,”
said the woman, who said her two children
with severe medical conditions “could die.”
“You refuse to do that, just for a
show.”
Johnson said situations like hers
keep him up at night, but he blamed Democrats for the uncertainty.
“The
Democrats are the ones that are preventing you from getting a check,”
he said.
Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Virginia,
who proposed legislation in September to pay members of the military despite
the shutdown, urged fellow House GOP leadership Oct. 8 to swiftly pass her
bill.
What Pentagon guidance did Hegseth
issue to implement payment?
Trump stated he was exercising his
authority as Commander-in-Chief to instruct Hegseth to allocate identified
resources to pay the troops by October 15, 2025.
The funds supposedly come from
previously authorized Department of Defense appropriations, though the exact
sources and amounts have not been revealed. The Pentagon and White House have
not provided detailed financial or operational guidance on how the payments
will be executed under the funding constraints of the shutdown.
This approach is unusual since
military pay often pauses during shutdowns unless Congress passes special
legislation.
As of now, public information
mainly comes from Trump’s announcements and social media posts directing the
Pentagon to prioritize troop pay.
