President Donald Trump has ordered the Defense Department to use any remaining funds to continue paying military personnel during the US government shutdown, a move that is politically popular but raises legal concerns and could extend a 15-day budget impasse.
While Trump did not specify which funds would cover the approximately $8 billion needed for defense payments, he directed the Pentagon to use unspent money from other accounts that have a “reasonable, logical relationship to the pay and allowances of military personnel,” the Bloomberg report noted. White House officials have previously indicated that research and development funds are the most likely source.
“Use for the purpose of salary and allowances any funds appropriated by Congress”
According to the text of the executive order shared by the White House, Trump directed Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth “to use for pay and allowances any funds appropriated by Congress that remain available for spending in fiscal year 2026 to achieve the planned payment of military pay and allowances for active-duty military personnel.”
Issued as a presidential national security memorandum rather than an executive order, the directive said the president was exercising his constitutional authority as commander in chief. Spending laws normally prevent the president from using funds not specifically authorized by Congress.
The Pentagon said troops received their pay earlier Wednesday, the first scheduled payday since the shutdown began Oct. 1, and that leave and earnings reports were updated in the payroll system, the report said.
Missing that pay would be the first time in decades that service members would go without pay due to a government shutdown. In the past, funding gaps were either short or ensured that defense spending was not affected.
During the 2013 government shutdown, military personnel continued to receive pay thanks to a separate bill passed by Congress called the “Pay Our Military Act,” Reuters reports. This year, Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans proposed a comparable measure, the “Pay Our Troops Act,” but it failed to pass before Speaker Johnson adjourned the House last month.
(With input from agencies)
