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Members of the U.S. military were poised to miss their first paychecks of the government shutdown on Wednesday, but active duty troops are at least getting some reprieve thanks to the Trump administration moving to reshuffle some Pentagon funds.
House GOP leaders have signaled that the White House could do the same for federal law enforcement, many of whom have already missed paydays amid the ongoing standoff.
The government shutdown is in its 15th day as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse on federal funding.
Neither side has shown signs of acquiescing to the other’s demands. And the White House’s move to pay troops, while welcome news to veterans in the House GOP, also removes a significant pressure point on both sides to quickly end the shutdown.
“It’s sad that Democrats are using President Trump’s good graces to drag this shutdown on even longer,” a senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital of military pay.
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Even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., tacitly praised the move, though he did not mention President Donald Trump or the White House.
“I agree with making sure that our men and women in uniform, our active duty troops, are paid,” Jeffries said during a Tuesday news conference.
House GOP lawmakers who served in the Armed Forces told Fox News Digital it was a welcome move, but not one that alleviated all of their concerns. They are still pushing for a quick resolution to the funding fight, warning the military still hangs in the balance.
“I am very thankful that the administration has at least recognized and found a way to make sure that our military families are taken care of,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., who has led a bipartisan bill to ensure active duty and civilian military workers are paid during shutdowns every year she’s been in Congress.
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The Virginia Republican said she remained concerned about civilian military employees, who would also have gotten paid under her legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has ruled out a standalone vote on troop pay, arguing it would not pass the Senate and only serve to give House Democrats political cover after they largely shunned the GOP’s funding bill, which would end the shutdown and get the military and others paid.
“We have a lot of civilians embedded very closely who really help day-to-day operations of the military. So we want to continue to advocate for them. I would still love to have a floor vote for my bill,” Kiggans said.
And Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., said Trump’s move was “huge news” but said he remained “very concerned” about that funding running out in the event of a longer shutdown.
“Trump’s mid-month actually was welcome news to the military community. But now that same community is anxious about what happens at the end of the month, where mortgages and rents and car payments all become due,” he said.
He also pushed back when Fox News Digital asked about the political ramifications of Trump moving to pay troops.
“Democrats were wrong to try to use troop pay as leverage to accomplish their political goals. And it would be wrong, it would be just as wrong, for a Republican to hope that that lack of pay would be a catalyst to get Democrats to acquiesce,” LaLota said.
Thousands of federal workers usually get furloughed when funding runs out during a government shutdown. Those who are deemed essential — including active duty military — normally work without getting paid.
Both furloughed and essential workers, however, are expected to get back pay when shutdowns are over.
House Republicans and one Democrat joined together to pass a short-term bill to keep the government funded through Nov. 21 last month, but the measure has stalled in the Senate, with Democrats demanding significant concessions on healthcare before agreeing to any spending bill.
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