Trump Orders Pentagon to Ensure Troops Are Paid Despite Government Shutdown

President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Defense to use “all available funds” to ensure that U.S. troops receive their paychecks on October 15, even as the federal government remains shut down for the 11th consecutive day.

In a statement posted on social media Saturday, Trump said he took this action because “our brave troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.”

The move temporarily eases pressure on Congress, which has yet to reach a budget deal to reopen the government. However, the directive does not apply to hundreds of thousands of federal employees who have been either furloughed or forced to work without pay.

The White House Office of Management and Budget began laying off federal workers on Friday as the shutdown entered its second week.

Trump blamed Democrats for the impasse, saying he was exercising his authority as Commander in Chief to instruct Defense Secretary 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,” Trump said.

The United States has about 1.3 million active-duty service members, whose missed paychecks have become a focal point in the broader debate over the shutdown’s economic and political impact.

While the move ensures short-term relief for the military, it does little to address the growing frustration among civilian federal workers, many of whom are struggling to cover expenses during the ongoing lapse in government operations.