Updated October 12, 2025 at 8:27 AM MDT
President Trump says he has "identified funds" to ensure the active military gets paid next week, as Congress stalls over 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 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 Saturday in a post on Truth Social.
Active-duty troops risked missing their first full paychecks on Wednesday, October 15.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reposted Trump's announcement on X stating, "President Trump delivers for the troops."
The Defense Department will use "approximately $8 billion" of unused research and development funding from last year to pay service members if the government doesn't reopen by October 15, according to a Pentagon official not authorized to speak publicly.
In 2024, the federal government spent nearly $192 billion annually in soldier compensation, according to a White House budget summary. On average, the government paid nearly $7.4 billion each two-week pay period last year. Meaning, the recently identified $8 billion would likely cover one pay period — leaving future soldier pay uncertain.
If troops go unpaid, that could further amp up the pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government. Many service members live paycheck to paycheck and could feel the impact quickly.
Some members of Congress have proposed a standalone bill — called the "Pay Our Troops Act" — to compensate soldiers, but Republican leaders in both chambers have insisted that the way to ensure military members are paid is to pass the GOP-backed short-term funding bill that would reopen the government.
Democrats and Republicans have both pinned blame across the aisle if troops go without pay.
"You've got millions of American families who will now have to figure out how to make their mortgage, how to cover their rent, pay the car note, and keep food on the table, because Democrats are here playing games," House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday.
Meanwhile, a nonprofit organization that provide services to soldiers and their families is blaming both parties.
"Military families deserve better than to have our livelihoods tied to political stalemates," Besa Pinchotti, 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 servicemembers receive their pay on time and that our families' financial stability isn't jeopardized while the nation relies on our servicemembers to keep us safe."
President Trump previously said he would ensure active military would be paid despite the shutdown.
"We will get our service members every last penny," Trump said at a Navy event in Norfolk, Virginia, last weekend. "Don't worry about it."
NPR's Tom Bowman and Sam Gringlas contributed to this story.
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