Pentagon to pay troops this week, despite government shutdown
President Trump has directed the Pentagon to use available funds to pay military members during the ongoing government shutdown, a relief to many families.
President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to pay military members this week, a relief to many families amid the ongoing government shutdown.The shutdown has now entered its 12th day. The Senate stalemate continues with no end in sight. In a social media post on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he directed the Pentagon “to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.” “I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown,” Trump added. Democrats have pointed the finger at Republicans for refusing to negotiate on health care policy demands, while Republicans say that debate can wait until after the government reopens. In a statement on Saturday, the Pentagon said it has identified $8 billion of unobligated research, development, testing, and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue mid-month paychecks to service members if the funding lapse continues. The Defense Department, which the Trump administration is now calling the Department of War, didn’t directly respond to emailed questions on whether that funding will be replaced when the government reopens, and whether there is enough money to cover future pay periods if Congress doesn’t find a solution to the shutdown beforehand. It’s also not clear if members of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during peacetime, will fall under the president’s pay directive for Oct. 15th. DHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for clarification, nor did the Pentagon. Other federal workers are already feeling the pinch, as many received partial paychecks on Friday. It’s expected to be their last until the government reopens. During Trump’s first term in 2019, he signed a law aimed at requiring back pay for federal workers following a shutdown. However, last week, the White House argued in a draft memo that retroactive pay is not automatic for furloughed employees, a legal interpretation contested by many members of Congress and labor unions. More from the Washington Bureau:
President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to pay military members this week, a relief to many families amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The shutdown has now entered its 12th day. The Senate stalemate continues with no end in sight.
In a social media post on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he directed the Pentagon “to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.”
“I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown,” Trump added.
Democrats have pointed the finger at Republicans for refusing to negotiate on health care policy demands, while Republicans say that debate can wait until after the government reopens.
In a statement on Saturday, the Pentagon said it has identified $8 billion of unobligated research, development, testing, and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue mid-month paychecks to service members if the funding lapse continues.
The Defense Department, which the Trump administration is now calling the Department of War, didn’t directly respond to emailed questions on whether that funding will be replaced when the government reopens, and whether there is enough money to cover future pay periods if Congress doesn’t find a solution to the shutdown beforehand.
It’s also not clear if members of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during peacetime, will fall under the president’s pay directive for Oct. 15th. DHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for clarification, nor did the Pentagon.
Other federal workers are already feeling the pinch, as many received partial paychecks on Friday. It’s expected to be their last until the government reopens.
During Trump’s first term in 2019, he signed a law aimed at requiring back pay for federal workers following a shutdown. However, last week, the White House argued in a draft memo that retroactive pay is not automatic for furloughed employees, a legal interpretation contested by many members of Congress and labor unions.
More from the Washington Bureau: