Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday evening that even though the government shutdown is ongoing, Coast Guard service members will still receive their paychecks this week.
Noem explained that the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, came up with an “innovative” solution to provide the necessary funds. This announcement came two days after President Donald Trump stated that he instructed the Defense Department to pay military personnel by Wednesday, despite most government workers not receiving pay during the federal funding gap.
“President Trump was determined that none of our military personnel would miss out on their pay due to what he termed as Democrats’ political drama, and at DHS, we figured out a creative method to ensure their pay,” Noem posted on X.
When asked for further information regarding the “innovative solution” and the source of the funding, a DHS spokesperson did not supply any new details and instead directed NBC News to revisit Noem’s social media message.
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The White House Office of Management and Budget announced over the weekend that it intends to use research and development funds to ensure military service members receive their salaries this week.
The administration began laying off more than 4,000 federal workers across seven departments last week. Of those, 176 were DHS employees, according to a Justice Department court filing Friday. The layoffs are being challenged in court.
The moves to pay some uniformed service members who would otherwise not be paid during the shutdown are the latest efforts by the administration to offset some of the less popular aspects of the funding lapse, which is about to hit the two-week mark.
Congress does not appear to have a plan to reopen the government.
The Senate has repeatedly voted and failed to pass Republican and Democratic versions of a temporary funding bill. The chamber is back in session Tuesday, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he won’t bring House back until the Senate passes a funding bill.
