Washington officials are cautioning that active service personnel might soon face unpaid periods if a resolution to the government shutdown isn’t promptly achieved.
“We managed to compensate military personnel using surplus funds at the Pentagon mid-month,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in an interview on that aired on Sunday. He added, “I believe we can continue paying them into early November. However, by November 15, our brave troops and service members, who put their lives on the line, will cease to receive pay. This is truly shameful.”
Should the shutdown persist until that date, it would significantly surpass previous records. The current longest shutdown, lasting 34 days, took place during President Donald Trump’s initial term. The present shutdown, currently in its fourth week after , already ranks as the second longest, with no foreseeable end.
Some have indicated that the federal government’s capacity to pay service members might be jeopardized even before November 15.
Service members last received pay on October 15. On that day, Trump issued a memorandum instructing the federal government to use any “available for expenditure” funds to compensate active service personnel.
However, it remains uncertain if this directive covers the upcoming payday on October 31. House Speaker Mike Johnson, when questioned Monday about service members receiving paychecks this week, responded, “we’re not 100% sure.”
Johnson commented, “I understand the Administration and everyone involved are making extensive efforts to resolve this, but I don’t have a definitive answer yet.”
On Thursday, Senate Democrats rejected a Republican-supported bill designed to compensate active service members and other federal employees compelled to work during the shutdown, implying that troops might not be paid this week. While federal employees are legally entitled to receive back pay once a government shutdown concludes, this bill aimed to provide interim compensation for those working.
Although some Democrats deviated from party lines to support the bill, others contended that it would grant the Trump Administration excessive authority to selectively pay federal workers during the shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the Republican-backed bill as a “deception” that could prolong the shutdown.
He declared, “We will not permit Donald Trump to politicize people’s livelihoods.”
Instead, Democrats advocated for a bill that would compensate all federal employees and contractors. However, Republicans defeated this legislation.
In a statement, Senator Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat who sponsored that bill, asserted, “Republicans are determined to allow Trump to arbitrarily choose who gets paid, but every federal worker, service member, and federal contractor is entitled to their wages.”
Last week, the President disclosed that his Administration had received an anonymous private contribution of $130 million to assist in paying troops during the shutdown. Trump withheld the donor’s identity, but the New York Times reported that billionaire Timothy Mellon was the individual involved. The outlet noted that the federal government’s annual budget allocated approximately $600 billion for total military compensation. With over 1.3 million active troops, the Times calculated the $130 million donation would amount to roughly $100 per service member.
Earlier this month, Trump controversially stated that certain federal employees “don’t deserve to be taken care of” during the shutdown, suggesting his Administration might withhold back pay from thousands of furloughed workers after the government reopens. At that time, an Administration official informed TIME that a White House legal review asserted furloughed workers were not due back pay upon their return, seemingly contradicting a 2019 law signed by Trump. Should this course be pursued, it is uncertain if the Administration would also deny back pay to active service members, considering its current efforts to keep them paid during the shutdown.