Trump orders Pentagon to ‘use all available funds’ to pay troops amid US govt shutdown

Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he has instructed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to “use all available funds” to make sure American troops receive their pay on October 15, despite the ongoing federal government shutdown.

"We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS," Trump wrote.

The US federal government entered a shutdown on October 1, marking the first in nearly seven years. According to Xinhua news agency, there are concerns that military personnel may not receive their next pay cheque on October 15.

Trump criticised the Democrats for endangering national security by causing the government shutdown, asserting that he would not allow such actions to affect the military. “I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown,” he added.

He urged the Democrats to ‘open the government’, expressing willingness to work with them once the impasse ends. “The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to address Healthcare, and many other things that they want to destroy,” he concluded.

Earlier on Monday, Trump indicated he’s ready to negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government as another funding bill vote in the Senate failed to break the deadlock.

The Republicans have accused Democrats of demanding healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants, which the Democrats reject as a lie peddled by the Trump administration.

Democrats say they are asking to reverse the healthcare cuts for American citizens in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which was passed earlier this year.

Around two-thirds of the employees of the National Park Service, the federal agency that manages national parks, have also been furloughed during the shutdown, affecting tourist sites such as caves in Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona and White Sands National Park in New Mexico.

The Smithsonian Institution’s museums and National Zoo in Washington announced last week that they would remain open to the public until October 11.

This is the first US government shutdown in seven years, as the last one happened under Trump 1.0 and lasted for 35 days – the longest in history.

IANS