President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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President Trump says he has “locked in the door” to ensure active-duty military pay is paid next week as Congress stalls on talks to reopen the federal government.
“I am using my authority as Commander in Chief to direct our Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use all available funds to pay our troops on October 15th. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to pay our troops,” Trump said in a statement Saturday. publish to Truth Social.
On Wednesday, October 15, military personnel risk not receiving their first full pay.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reposted Trump's statement on X saying, “President Trump provides troops.”
The Defense Department will use “approximately $8 billion” of unused research and development funding from last year to pay military personnel if the government does not reopen by Oct. 15, according to a Pentagon official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
In 2024, the federal government was spending nearly $192 billion annually to pay soldiers, according to the White House budget. summary. On average, the government paid out nearly $7.4 billion for each two-week pay period last year. That means the newly identified $8 billion will likely cover one pay period, leaving uncertainty about future soldiers' pay.
If troops are not paid, it could further increase pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government. Many military personnel live paycheck to paycheck and quickly feel the effects.
Some members of Congress have proposed a separate check — called the Pay Our Troops Act — to compensate soldiers, but Republican leaders in both chambers insist the way to ensure service members are paid is to pass a GOP-backed short-term funding bill that would reopen the government.
Both Democrats and Republicans placed blame on everyone if troops go without pay.
“Millions of American families will now have to figure out how to get a mortgage, how to cover the rent, pay the car bill and keep food on the table because Democrats are playing games here,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday.
Meanwhile, a nonprofit that provides services to soldiers and their families is blaming both sides.
“Military families deserve better than to have our livelihoods tied to political gridlock,” Besa Pinciotti, CEO of the National Military Family Association and a military spouse, said in a statement. “Congress must pass the Pay Our Troops Act to ensure that service members are paid on time and that the financial stability of our families is not jeopardized while the nation relies on our service members to keep us safe.”
President Trump previously said he will ensure that active military personnel are paid despite the shutdown.
“We will provide for our service members to the last penny,” Trump said at a Navy event in Norfolk, Virginia, over the weekend. “Don't worry about it.”
NPR's Tom Bowman and Sam Greenglass contributed to this story.
