President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a news conference at the White House with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America
President Trump says he has “identified funds” to ensure active military members get paid next week as Congress stalls in negotiations 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 have our troops PAYED on October 15th. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS,” Trump said Saturday in a message on Truth Social.
Active duty troops were at risk of missing their first full paycheck on Wednesday, October 15.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted Trump’s announcement on X, saying, “President Trump is keeping his promises for the troops.”
The Defense Department will use “about $8 billion” in unused research and development funds from last year to pay the military if the government does not reopen by Oct. 15, according to a Pentagon official not authorized to speak publicly.
In 2024, the federal government spent nearly $192 billion annually on troop compensation, according to a White House budget summary. On average, the government paid out nearly $7.4 billion per two-week pay period last year. That means the recently identified $8 billion would likely cover a pay period, making future soldiers’ pay uncertain.
If the troops aren’t paid, that could further increase pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government. Many military members live paycheck to paycheck and could quickly feel the impact.
Some members of Congress have proposed a standalone bill — called the “Pay Our Troops Act” — to compensate the troops, but Republican leaders in both chambers insisted that the way to ensure the military gets paid is to pass the Republican-backed short-term funding bill that would reopen the government.
Both Democrats and Republicans blamed each other if the troops were not paid.
“You have millions of American families who are now going to have to figure out how to pay their mortgage, how to cover their rent, pay the car note and keep food on the table, because Democrats are here to play games,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday.
Meanwhile, a nonprofit organization that provides services to soldiers and their families places blame on both parties.
“Military families deserve better than to have their livelihoods tied to political gridlock,” Besa Pinchotti, CEO of the National Military Families Association and a military spouse, said in a statement. “Congress must pass the Pay Our Troops Act to ensure service members receive their pay on time and that the financial stability of our families is not compromised while the nation relies on our service members to keep us safe.”
President Trump previously said he would ensure active military members were paid despite the shutdown.
“We will get every last cent out of our military,” Trump said at a Navy event in Norfolk, Virginia, last weekend. “Don’t worry about that.”
NPR’s Tom Bowman and Sam Gringlas contributed to this story.
