Trump authorizes troop pay amid government shutdown
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President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he instructed the Defense Department to ensure military personnel receive their pay the following week, despite the continued federal government shutdown.

“In my capacity as Commander in Chief, I am directing our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to ensure our Troops are PAID on October 15th. We have identified the necessary funds, and Secretary Hegseth will utilize them to PAY OUR TROOPS,” Trump stated on Truth Social.

This directive follows concerns expressed by Trump administration officials and lawmakers from both parties, who warned that military members might not receive payments on Oct. 15 due to the shutdown, ongoing now for 10 days.

Representatives the Defense Department did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment Saturday.

The Office of Management and Budget informed Congress of their plan to use research and development funds to cover military salaries, according to sources with direct knowledge reported by NBC News.

An OMB spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that they intend to utilize the research and development funds, noting that there are two years’ worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

In his Truth Social post, Trump attributed the ongoing shutdown to the Democrats, stating, “If nothing is resolved, due to ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.”

We’d like to hear from you about how you’re experiencing the government shutdown, whether you’re a federal employee who can’t work right now or someone who is feeling the effects of shuttered services in your everyday life. Please contact us at tips@nbcuni.com or reach out to us here.

In several votes over the last week, Senate lawmakers have not been able to reach a 60-vote threshold on a temporary stopgap funding measure that would reopen the government.

In September, the House — with all Republicans voting in favor and all but one Democrat voting against — passed a temporary funding bill that would keep the government open and running at previous funding levels through Nov. 21.

Not enough Senate Democrats have joined Republicans in voting in favor of that bill. Instead, Senate Democratic leadership has proposed a temporary funding measure that would keep the government open through the end of October and restore cuts to Medicaid that the GOP passed in a landmark domestic policy package earlier this year.

The Democratic-backed package would also extend federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act recipients that are set to expire at the end of this year. Republicans have not joined Democrats to pass that measure.

On Friday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that he was expecting the White House to find a way to pay troops in time for the Oct. 15 paycheck.

“I think, to their credit, the White House has now for 10 days laid off doing anything in hopes that the — enough Senate Democrats would come to their senses and do the right thing and fund the government. But now, now that we’re getting these where people are going to start missing paychecks, this gets real,” he said.

“This gets real for families, a lot of military families who live paycheck to paycheck, a lot of American families who live paycheck to paycheck, who are federal employees. And so I just think that the White House, my expectation is, yes, they’re going to start making some decisions about how to move money around,” the majority leader added.

Later Friday, the Trump administration began laying off thousands of federal workers across multiple federal agencies.

On Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was confronted by a military spouse over the phone while taking calls from viewers on C-SPAN. She alleged that her family would not be able to afford their children’s medication without an Oct. 15 paycheck.

“If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get to get the medication that’s needed for them to live their life, because we live paycheck to paycheck,” the caller told Johnson.

Johnson told the caller that he was “angry because of situations just like yours.” He added that, “the Democrats are the ones that are preventing you from getting a check.”

Democrats in the House and Senate, meanwhile, last week pushed for a vote on a stand-alone piece of legislation that would ensure troops get paid during the federal government shutdown.

On Friday, Johnson told House lawmakers that there were no votes expected next week, extending the amount of time House lawmakers have been away from Washington.

“Republicans have completely abdicated their governance responsibility by cancelling votes in the House for a third consecutive week. Instead of voting on legislation to reopen the government, pay our troops and address the Republican healthcare crisis, they remain on vacation,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a letter to colleagues on Saturday.

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