Trump Orders Pentagon to Pay Troops as Partial Government Shutdown Enters 11th Day
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to utilize available funds to ensure active-duty service members are paid on October 15, as a partial government shutdown entered its 11th day. The shutdown stems from a partisan deadlock in Congress over funding resolutions.
The political impasse has seen Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, repeatedly block Republican-sponsored “clean” funding bills. Democrats are holding out for concessions, including protections for immigrant healthcare benefits and increases in domestic spending.
In response to the ongoing closure, the administration has initiated over 4,000 temporary layoffs of federal employees. Notably, more than 1,000 staffers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been furloughed, a move that has drawn bipartisan criticism and prompted legal challenges.
The order to pay the military is intended to mitigate the shutdown’s impact on national security and service members’ families, even as the broader budgetary standoff continues with no immediate resolution in sight.
