President Donald Trump said on Oct. 11 that his administration has located funds to keep active-duty service members paid during the government shutdown, saying he will not let Democrats hold the military “hostage” as the Oct. 15 payday looms.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”
Trump did not specify the source of those funds. However, a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) opinion suggests the White House may tap mandatory spending streams or accounts expanded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed earlier this year. In a letter to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the CBO said the Department of War and several other agencies received mandatory funding that “could be used to pay active-duty personnel during a shutdown.”…
Trump Directs Pentagon to Pay Troops During Government Shutdown
