The Trump administration plans to pay military members Friday using a mix of legislative and Pentagon funds, according to an official with the White House Office of Management and Budget.
It would be the second time that the White House has managed to miss a payment deadline for troops during the government shutdownnow on the 30th day. Service members are considered essential federal employees and must work during a funding window, but essential workers typically are not paid during a shutdown.
About $2.5 billion from the military housing fund portion of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which became law this year, will be tapped for Friday’s paychecks, according to the OMB official. In addition, $1.4 billion from the Defense Department’s research and development account and $1.4 billion from the procurement account will be used, the official said.
That would bring the total to about $5.3 billion, still less than the $6.5 billion used to pay troops’ salaries earlier this month. It is unclear why there is a difference in the amounts, and OMB officials did not respond to a request for comment on that specific point.
Axios first reported about the government’s salary plan for Friday.
We want to hear from you about how you are experiencing the government shutdown, whether you are a federal employee who is currently unable to work, someone who relies on federal benefits like SNAP, or someone who is experiencing the impact of other closed services in your daily life. Contact us at tips@nbcuni.com or contact us here.
“President Trump continues to make good on his promise to care for the troops, despite the fact that Democrats have shut down the government and are okay with our bravest men and women not getting paid,” a Pentagon official told NBC News.
The Pentagon recently accepted this an anonymous donation of $130 million to pay the troops during the shutdown, prompting some Democrats to express concerns about the legality and ethics surrounding the measure.
Earlier this week, Vice President J.D. Vance said on Capitol Hill, “We believe we can continue to pay the troops Friday. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to pay everyone because the Democrats have dealt us a very bad hand.”
He added: “We think we can keep paying the troops, at least for now, but we have food stamp benefits that are going to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as we can. We just need the Democrats to actually help us.”
The Senate failed last week to advance a Republican measure that would pay active-duty military and other federal workers deemed essential during the shutdown. Senate Democrats offered an alternative measure that would pay all federal workers, but that measure also fell short of the votes needed to advance.
Traveling soon? The government shutdown has people wondering what this means for flights and trains. Here’s what’s still ongoing, what could come under pressure, and why the travel economy could lose $1 billion a week.
#Trump #administration #members #military #paid #Friday #government #shutdown