President Donald Trump announced Saturday that his administration has “identified funds” to ensure that military personnel receive their paychecks on October 15, even as the federal government shutdown stretches into a third week.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he has instructed his Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, “to use all available funds to get our troops PAID on October 15th.” The president’s statement comes as growing concerns mount over the financial strain the shutdown is placing on millions of federal employees and service members.
According to a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, the money for the military’s paychecks will come from the Pentagon’s research and development budget, which contains funds that remain available for up to two years. The Pentagon confirmed that it has “identified approximately $8 billion of unobligated research, development, testing, and evaluation funds” from the prior fiscal year that can be redirected to cover military salaries if the shutdown continues past October 15.
While the move ensures that service members receive their pay on time, it also raises potential legal challenges since the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to allocate federal spending. Redirecting funds that have already been appropriated for specific defense programs could spark disputes over the administration’s authority to reallocate money without congressional approval.
The White House has not provided details on how long the reallocated funds could sustain military payroll if the shutdown persists. Lawmakers from both parties have warned that any prolonged government funding lapse could strain not only the military but also national security operations and defense research.
The announcement follows a week of mounting frustration in Washington as congressional leaders failed to reach an agreement to reopen the government. House and Senate Republicans have resisted the idea of passing a standalone bill to fund military pay, using the issue as leverage to push Democrats toward accepting their terms to end the shutdown.
Trump, who has repeatedly vowed that service members would not go unpaid, reaffirmed his commitment during a recent appearance at a Navy event in Norfolk, Virginia. “We will get our service members every last penny. Don’t worry about it,” he said to applause from the crowd.
However, uncertainty remains over whether the U.S. Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Pentagon, will be included in the redirected funding. During the 2019 partial government shutdown, active-duty Coast Guard members went unpaid for weeks – the first time in U.S. history that armed forces personnel missed paychecks during a lapse in government funding. They were eventually granted back pay once the shutdown ended.
This latest shutdown, now approaching its third week, has shuttered non-essential government operations and furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Economists warn that an extended shutdown could have ripple effects across the economy, slowing consumer spending and reducing overall GDP growth.
Trump’s decision to pull from defense research funding underscores the administration’s determination to shield the military from the immediate financial fallout of the shutdown. Still, questions remain about the legality, sustainability, and broader fiscal consequences of the move.
As the October 15 payday nears, both the White House and Congress face mounting pressure to reach a budget resolution – before the temporary fix runs out and the nation’s troops are once again caught in the crossfire of Washington’s political gridlock.
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