President Trump on Saturday directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used all of the department’s “available funds” to pay military service members during the government shutdown.
Blaming congressional Democrats and naming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Trump said troops will not receive their upcoming paychecks. Service members are scheduled to receive their next checks on Oct. 15.
“Therefore, 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 15,” Trump wrote. A post on his social media site Truth Social.
“We have identified funds to do this and Secretary Hegseth will use them to pay our troops,” Trump said.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has “identified approximately $8 billion of unrestricted Research Development Test and Evaluation (RDTE) funds from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue mid-month pay checks to service members if the funding lapse continues beyond October 15,” a DOD official told The Hill on Saturday.
“We will provide more information as it becomes available,” the official said.
This comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La). blemish Fixer On the Democrats for possible wage defaults.
“H.R. 5371 (Continuing Resolution) is a bill to pay our troops,” Johnson said.wrotesocial media platform
democrats and republicans put pressure onJohnson will bring lawmakers back to Washingtonto vote on a billThis will ensure that military personnel will be paid next week despite the shutdown.
Reps. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Derek Tran (D-Calif.) on WednesdayWrote a letter to JohnsonHe was urged to bring back the House members before Wednesday to pass the bill.
“If Congress does not act by October 15, approximately 3 million military families will miss their next paycheck,” they wrote in the letter.punchbol news“This is unacceptable – our military families and soldiers deserve better.”
“We can have policy and political battles in Congress, but we can’t ask service members to put themselves in harm’s way without paying them,” Representative Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said in a statement. statement Thursday on the hill. “This should be a red line for anyone who cares about our national security and our troops.”
trumpalso supported the billAnd said it’s something “that will probably happen.”
But on Friday, Johnson said that any vote in the Houseit will happenOnce the funding bill is passed.
Updated at 8:30 pm
