Despite government shutdown, troops are paid thanks to Trump's order

Amid the prolonged federal government shutdown, now entering its third week, President Donald Trump kept his promise to guarantee pay for U.S. troops.

Despite the efforts of Democratic figures such as the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, to block funding for the military, a senior official from the Department of Defense (DHS) confirmed that active duty service members received their mid-month pay.

The move, driven directly by an order from Trump to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, prevents more than 1.3 million troops from being financially impacted at a time of high political tension.

On his X account, journalist Nick Sortor confirmed that "U.S. troops already RECEIVED their pay this week, a War Department official confirmed to me. Trump and Hegseth complied! This is despite Chuck Schumer's efforts to BLOCK our heroes from getting paid. 'Thanks to President Trump's leadership, service members received their mid-month pay and their Leave and Earnings Statements (LES) are now available on myPay,' the official says."

The government shutdown

The government shutdown began on October 1, following the failure of negotiations in Congress to pass a continuing resolution. This is the first federal shutdown since the 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019, during Trump's first term, and it comes amid an environment of extreme polarization.

White House has accused Democrats of prioritizing agendas such as protecting undocumented immigrants over national security, which has prevented a budget deal.

The impact was profound: thousands of federal employees have been laid off, and agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) face significant cuts.

In this scenario, military pay became a key sticking point. Traditionally, during a shutdown, troops do not receive salaries until Congress approves retroactive funding. However, Trump warned that he would not allow "the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE." 

Along those lines, on Saturday, the Republican used his Truth Social platform to announce, "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."

In the post, the president detailed that he had identified funds to cover the checks, rejecting a legislative solution dependent on the Republican-controlled Congress, but stalled by Democratic opposition.