United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to ensure that the country’s military personnel are paid by October 15, despite the ongoing government shutdown.
The shutdown, which began on October 1, has entered its second week and has severely disrupted federal operations across the country. According to a court filing, about 4,000 public service workers are at risk of losing their jobs due to halted government activities.
Trump said his administration has located sufficient funds to pay the armed forces, emphasizing that he would not allow Democrats to “hold the country’s troops hostage” amid political deadlock.
He added:
“We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to pay our troops. I will not allow the Democrats to hold our military—and the entire security of our nation—hostage with their dangerous government shutdown.”
The United States has around 1.3 million active-duty service members, who were due to receive their salaries on October 15. Without Trump’s directive, those payments could have been delayed due to the funding impasse. However, it remains unclear where the administration is sourcing the money for these payments during the shutdown.
Trump also urged Democrats to reopen the government, saying that only then could both sides engage in discussions on broader policy issues such as healthcare.
“The Radical Left Democrats should open the government, and then we can work together to address healthcare and many other things they want to destroy,” Trump wrote.
The government shutdown continues as negotiations between the White House and Democratic senators remain at a standstill, with mounting pressure from federal workers and agencies affected by the budget freeze.
Source:Africa Publicity
