Trump authorizes troop pay amid government shutdown

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he was directing Defense Department officials to pay members of the military next week, despite the ongoing federal government shutdown.“I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that he was directing Defense Department officials to pay members of the military next week, despite the ongoing federal government shutdown.

“I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

This comes as Trump administration officials and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns that members of the military would not receive a paycheck on Oct. 15 due to the shutdown, which has lasted for 10 days so far.

Representatives the Defense Department did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment Saturday.

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.