A lot of people are talking about the government shutdown and how it might stop U.S. troops from getting paid. A headline that’s gone viral says military veterans in Congress are fighting each other over this, and that active-duty soldiers could miss paychecks as early as October 15. People are worried, and rightfully so—America’s troops put their lives on the line and deserve to be paid on time.
So what’s really going on? Who’s responsible, and what’s being done to fix it?
Here are the facts.
Right now, there’s a shutdown because Congress hasn’t agreed on a new budget to keep the government running. When this happens, some federal workers don’t get paid until the shutdown ends. That includes active-duty military members. Even though they still have to work, their paychecks can be delayed.
The House of Representatives, led by Republicans, passed a funding bill on September 19. It’s a short-term bill called a continuing resolution, or CR. This CR would keep the government open until November 21 and ensure that military pay continues without a break.
The House bill is what’s known as a “clean” resolution. That means it doesn’t include any unrelated demands or policy changes—just the money needed to keep things running. It has no budget cuts, no political tricks, and no new laws. It’s simply a way to buy more time for a full budget agreement while making sure our troops still get paid.
Twenty-two Republican members of the House who are military veterans signed a letter asking their fellow veterans in the Senate—seven Democrat senators who also served in the military—to support this clean bill. The letter, sent on Saturday, makes a personal appeal: “We hope you receive this letter in the manner in which it is intended: as brothers and sisters in arms, not as partisans.”
The problem is, the Senate—controlled by Democrats—has voted down this funding bill seven times already. Democrats say they want other things added to the bill, like extending the extra subsidies for Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act), which are set to run out later this year.
Republicans argue that now is not the time to add extras. They believe the focus should be on keeping the government open and making sure the military gets paid. Anything else can be debated later.
Here’s where the timing becomes critical. For military pay to go out on time, the Senate would have to pass the House’s bill by Monday, October 13. But Monday is a federal holiday—Columbus Day—so the Senate won’t be in session. That means the earliest they could vote is Tuesday, pushing the paycheck deadline dangerously close.
This has left many troops and their families in a tough spot. They’re continuing to serve their country, but they don’t know when they’ll be paid. And while they will likely receive back pay once the shutdown ends, that doesn’t help them pay bills or buy groceries right now.
There’s also been talk of passing a separate bill just to guarantee military pay during the shutdown. Some lawmakers have pushed for this, but House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, says the best path forward is still the clean funding bill. He believes the Senate needs to pass it without delay.
So, is it true that military pay is being used as a political game? Sadly, yes. While one side says they want to focus only on funding the government and paying the troops, the other side is trying to use the moment to secure unrelated policy goals.
The House passed a clean bill. The Senate won’t agree unless they get more. And our troops hang in the balance.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about politics—it’s about people. The men and women in uniform who protect our country should never be caught up in these standoffs. They’ve done their job. It’s time for Congress to do theirs.