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A Democrat-led bid to force through a bill to pay the military during the government shutdown was blocked in the House on Friday.
Democrats and some Republicans have been demanding a House vote on ensuring U.S. troops do not miss their coming Oct. 15 paycheck or any others as the government shutdown barrels into a third week.
But GOP leaders have largely dismissed the request, panning it as a Democrat bid to save face after rejecting Republicans’ funding bill that would have kept the military and other federal workers paid.
Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., attempted to ask for unanimous consent to pass the legislation on Friday afternoon during a pro forma session in the House.
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But House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., who was presiding over the chamber, gaveled out of session before Elfreth could finish reading her request.
Active duty service members are deemed “essential” and so must keep working during the government shutdown. But they and other federal employees are expected to miss pay until the government is funded — at which point they would receive back pay from the checks skipped during the shutdown.
The House passed a GOP-led CR largely along party lines on Sept. 19. It would keep current government funding levels roughly flat until Nov. 21 to give Congress more time to strike a deal on fiscal year 2026 spending levels.
The measure is free from other policy riders, save for about $88 million toward enhanced security for lawmakers, the White House and the judicial branch — which has bipartisan support.
But Democrats, furious at being sidelined in those government funding discussions, are calling for both an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies and an end to Republicans’ recent Medicaid cuts in exchange for their support.
The funding bill has been stalled in the Senate, where it’s been rejected by Democrats seven times.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was visibly frustrated on Friday when he addressed reporters for his now-daily shutdown press conference and broached the issue of military pay.
“By way of reminder, the House passed a clean, nonpartisan CR three weeks ago today to keep the government funded and, by extension, to pay our troops and TSA agents and Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers and the rest of our federal workforce,” Johnson said.
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“We had that vote three weeks ago. And since then, Senate Democrats have voted repeatedly to keep the government closed. And the Senate, they have now voted seven times to block paychecks for 2 million federal civilian workers and 1.3 million active-duty military men and women.”
Johnson later told reporters on a press call that a standalone vote would be a “pointless exercise,” because “Senate Democrats will block it.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital that Democrats’ Friday effort on the chamber floor was a political stunt “of gargantuan proportions.”
“You can’t do that in a pro forma session. So again, it’s just to get attention,” Emmer said.
And while the GOP has been largely united on the issue, at least two House Republicans, Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., have publicly pushed for standalone votes on military pay.
Under rules dictated by the Constitution, the chamber must meet for brief periods every few days called “pro forma” sessions to ensure continuity, even if there are no formal legislative matters at hand.
Pro forma sessions can also be opportunities for lawmakers to give brief speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have.
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