Vice President JD Vance said President Donald Trump is doing “everything he can to make sure” the military gets paid amid what he called the “Schumer shutdown.” During his remarks at the U.S. Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary celebration, Vance also called out “other congressional Democrats who seem to want to keep the government shut down.”
“As I told the President just a couple of days ago — we have got to figure out how to pay these Marines, both for their sake and also for ours, of course,” Vance said Saturday. “Because if we don’t pay our enlisted Marines, every bar in Southern California is going to go out of business.”
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The government has been shut down since Oct. 1, when Congress members failed to reach an agreement on a Republican-led funding bill. Republicans say they want a bill without extra provisions, which they argue Democrats want to add. Meanwhile, Democrats say in the current legislation, the GOP is refusing to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which could make health insurance premiums rise to levels many can’t afford.
Military paychecks in limbo during shutdown
Because of the shutdown, military members were poised to miss their Oct. 15 paychecks. President Donald Trump, though, signed an executive order directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to ensure military members get paid. Trump said on Saturday, Oct.11, that his administration identified funds to do this.
In a statement previously shared with Straight Arrow News, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the agency found about $8 billion of unobligated research development testing and evaluation funds for military paychecks, though Politico later reported the White House informed some lawmakers they actually used $6.5 billion.
Service members confirmed to USA Today that they did end up getting paid on Oct. 15.
What happens in regards to future paychecks remains to be seen. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said Wednesday at a news conference that Trump’s actions are only a “temporary fix.”
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., scheduled a vote for next week on a bill to pay certain federal workers, including service members, as the shutdown continues.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., would need 60 votes to go forward.
“That will be the first opportunity and then we’ll see from there,” Thune said to Politico.
