WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed an order on Wednesday directing the Pentagon to ensure active-duty military personnel are paid despite the federal government shutdown, the White House said, addressing one of the most sensitive issues in the bitter standoff over federal spending.
Trump directed Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth “to use for the purpose of pay and allowances any funds appropriated by the Congress that remain available for expenditure in Fiscal Year 2026 to accomplish the scheduled disbursement of military pay and allowances for active duty military personnel,” according to text of the executive order shared by the White House on social media.
As the standoff between Trump’s Republicans and congressional Democrats stretched into a third week, 1.3 million active-duty military risked missing their mid-month paychecks. Service members remain on duty despite the shutdown that began on Oct 1. Their work is deemed essential for national security.