Frustration is mounting among federal workers as the government shutdown begins its second week. However, the Trump administration has found a way to continue paying a vital part of the government: the military.

With payday for the military looming on Wednesday and no end to the government shutdown in sight, Trump announced that the Department of War would be pulling extra funds to pay servicemen and women.

'I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown.'

Trump blamed the Democrats in Congress for the shutdown after nearly two weeks of leaders refusing to come to the table to pass a clean CR bill.

"If nothing is done, because of 'Leader' Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th. That is why 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 said in a Saturday Truth Social post.

Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

"I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown," Trump continued.

Asked for more information regarding Trump's announcement, a Department of War official told Blaze News, "The president has directed the secretary of war to use available funds to pay service members on October 15. The Department of War has identified approximately $8 billion of unobligated research development testing and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue mid-month paychecks to service members in the event the funding lapse continues past October 15. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Asked for comment, the White House referred Blaze News to the Office of Management and Budget. An OMB spokesperson confirmed the plan, saying, "The military will be paid using pots of R&D money available at DOW for two years."

On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson expressed his confidence in the president's funding plan. He said that Democrats have threatened to challenge the move in court.

"Are Democrats suggesting they want to go to court to STOP PAYCHECKS from being issued to our troops?! BRING IT ON!" Johnson said on X. "I'm grateful for a Commander in Chief who is prioritizing the brave men and women serving in our military — even while Democrats are working and VOTING REPEATEDLY to BLOCK their hard-earned pay."

Without this move by the Department of War and President Trump, the military's pay would likely be suspended with back pay until an appropriations bill is passed. A major piece of legislation, the Antideficiency Act, bars agencies from spending money when it has not been appropriated by Congress.

GovFacts succinctly explains the "central paradox" of the government shutdown as it relates to military spending: "The [Antideficiency Act's] emergency exception legally requires active-duty service members to keep working to protect the nation. But the ADA's core prohibition forbids the government from obligating funds to pay their salaries without an appropriation."

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Democrats feign outrage as Trump administration shutdown layoffs hit: 'They seem to be enjoying it'

With no end in sight to the government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration is putting Democrats in an unenviable position.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced Friday that the administration has officially begun issuing reduction in force notices, laying off over 4,200 government workers across several key departments, like Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. As the government approaches its third week of the shutdown, Democrats are left weighing their options.

'The easiest way to stop this is for five [Democrats] to come to their senses.'

These layoffs come as no surprise. Vought previously threatened Democrats with mass layoffs just days before the September 30 funding deadline. Still, Democrats are feigning surprise.

"Here's what's worse: Republicans would rather see thousands of Americans lose their jobs than sit down and negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "The way forward is simple: Stop the attacks, come to the table, negotiate, and reopen the government. Until Republicans get serious, they own this — every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted is because of their decisions.”

Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

Democrats blocked the Republican-led funding bill that would have kept the government open and operating at virtually the same funding levels.The GOP's bill was a simple, clean, 90-page continuing resolution with no partisan anomalies, save a bipartisan line item that would boost security funds for lawmakers following Charlie Kirk's assassination.

Rather than voting alongside Republicans to keep the government open, Democrats decided to introduce their own $1.5 trillion spending bill that would reverse major legislative accomplishments achieved in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. Democrats also insisted on immediately renegotiating healthcare subsidies from the Affordable Care Act, though these aren't set to expire until the end of the year.

Democrats are in the minority in both the House and the Senate.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Senate Democrats have stubbornly voted no over a half dozen times on reopening the government. One senior Democratic aide told CNN that the party will not concede short of "planes falling out of the sky."

"The pressure thus far hasn't moved them at all," Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Blaze News during a press call hosted by the Republican Study Committee. "They seem to be enjoying it."

"I don't think anybody in the White House takes any pleasure in this at all," Johnson told Blaze News. "I've spoken to the president about this myself. Of course, I've spoken to Russell Vought as well. They're in an unenviable position."

"The easiest way to stop this is for five [Democrats] to come to their senses in the Senate and join Republicans to reopen the government."

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White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate

With no end in sight for the government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration is turning up the heat on Democrats.

The Office of Management and Budget has officially begun issuing reduction-in-force notices that will lead to "substantial" layoffs across several federal agencies, an OMB spokesperson told Blaze News. OMB Director Russell Vought also confirmed the layoffs in a post on X Friday, saying, "The RIFs have begun."

'Every day it's actually getting worse for them.'

Vought originally directed agencies to begin drafting RIF notices back in September in anticipation of the government shutdown. Trump also signaled on Thursday that mass layoffs and program cuts were imminent, warning that Democrats would get "a little taste of their own medicine."

"We're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you," Trump said during the Cabinet meeting Thursday.

Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them," Trump said. "No, every day it's actually getting worse for them, and they're having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop."

Although Democrats have continued to dig their heels in, Republicans have remained unified behind the president, arguing there's nothing to negotiate. Going into the 10th day of the shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made his media rounds on Friday by attending several pressers throughout the day, even joining the House Freedom Caucus for its historic, first-ever press call.

During the call, Johnson also hinted that Congress may be considering another rescissions package and that lawmakers will be hearing more "in the days to come."

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

As of this writing, Democrats have voted to keep the government closed over a half dozen times since the September 30 funding deadline lapsed. The Republican-led funding bill Democrats have so heavily protested is a clean, nonpartisan CR that keeps the government open at the current spending levels, with the exception of increased funding for security following Charlie Kirk's assassination.

In contrast, the Democrats' funding bill boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag, aiming to reverse virtually every legislative accomplishment Republicans secured with Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Even with competing legislation, Congress has reached a stalemate, with both the House and the Senate out of session until Tuesday.

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Mike Johnson calls out Schumer for continuing government shutdown

On Thursday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) held a press conference to provide updates on the ongoing government shutdown. Along with other GOP leaders, Johnson placed blame for the shutdown squarely on Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other leading Democrats.

"It seems complicated, what's happening in Washington right now," Johnson said. "It actually is very simple."

'A majority of the Senate is already on our side. ... So this really does get down to Leader Schumer and the bulk of his caucus.'

The speaker went on to say that Schumer and other top Democrats are prolonging the shutdown to appease the radical wing of their party. "They are worried about the Marxist flank in their Democrat Party," Johnson said. "... He's terrified that he's going to get a challenge from his far left."

According to Johnson, the Democrats' delaying tactic is hurting the average American: "They are playing politics, and real Americans are paying the price for it."

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said that Republicans are ready and willing to work with Democrats to move legislation forward. "We're prepared to work. I've got very talented counterparts on the Democratic side," Cole said.

He added that Schumer and other prominent Democrats are preventing bipartisan progress: "A majority of the Senate is already on our side. A bipartisan majority of 55. So this really does get down to Leader Schumer and the bulk of his caucus."

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) echoed the speaker's comments on Democrat efforts to appease the radical elements of the party. "I think the American people are getting sick of this charade," Scalise said. He pointed to these efforts at appeasement as a major reason for the Democrats' refusal to compromise. "Chuck Schumer is more concerned with his political job than he is about the jobs of millions of American families," he claimed.

For his part, Schumer has remained focused on the additional health care funding and coverage that Democrats have insisted on adding to the continuing resolution in order to open up the government. In a post on X, Schumer wrote, "The government is shut down because Trump and the Republicans are hellbent on taking healthcare away from you."

Since the government shut down, there have been five votes on measures to reopen it. All of them have failed. Another vote is scheduled for October 10.

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With A Single Question, Brennan Proves Schumer Has No Interest In Ending Shutdown: All The Questions From Face The Nation

Peel away the redirection in Schumer's answers and the questions reveal the real story — Schumer isn't interested in getting things done.

Welker Asks Jeffries If Sombrero Memes Hurt His Feelings: All The Questions From Meet The Press

Welker is less interested in answers, and more interested in telegraphing the propaganda loaded in her questions to onlookers.

Deadlocked Democrats continue stubborn standoff, prolonging government shutdown

Senate Democrats stubbornly kicked the can down the road, voting Friday to keep the government shut down.

The government shutdown will continue through the weekend after 44 Democrats voted against the Republicans' clean continuing resolution. However, more Democrats voted with Republicans on Friday than on Tuesday, as New York Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's coalition begins to crumble.

'The Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.'

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine joined 51 Republicans in voting to reopen the government on Friday. Notably, these are the same three senators who initially bucked their party and voted with the GOP. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone "no" vote of his party.

"We could be considering bipartisan appropriations bills through regular order, but instead we are stuck in a shutdown mess of Democrats’ making," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said. "And the American people are suffering as a result."

Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Republicans are about to vote (again) to reopen the government and every Democrat outside of a few sensible moderates will vote to keep it shut," Vice President JD Vance said ahead of the vote. "This is the basic fact of the shutdown, and no one can deny it."

Schumer and his fellow Democrats have backed themselves into a corner. Rather than passing the same continuing resolution Democrats have voted for over a dozen times in past spending fights, Schumer is attempting to leverage the shutdown to force Republicans to negotiate on Obama-era health care subsidies.

Democrats even proposed their own competing funding bill, which boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag and would effectively reverse every legislative accomplishment from Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In contrast, the Republican-led bill is a clean continuing resolution with a funding anomaly to boost security spending for politicians in light of Charlie Kirk's horrific assassination.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

To Democrats' dismay, their negotiating tactics have proven ineffective. Although the White House has reiterated that the administration would rather reopen the government, President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought are seizing the opportunity.

Ahead of the shutdown, Vought notified federal agencies to begin drafting reduction-in-force notices in anticipation of mass layoffs. Trump and Vought also met Thursday to identify which "Democrat Agencies" would be cut, and tens of billions of dollars' worth of projects have already been halted by the administration.

"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday. "They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

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'Bring it on': Trump administration to pay military with War Department funds if shutdown continues

Democrats feign outrage as Trump administration shutdown layoffs hit: 'They seem to be enjoying it'

White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate

Mike Johnson calls out Schumer for continuing government shutdown

With A Single Question, Brennan Proves Schumer Has No Interest In Ending Shutdown: All The Questions From Face The Nation

Welker Asks Jeffries If Sombrero Memes Hurt His Feelings: All The Questions From Meet The Press

Deadlocked Democrats continue stubborn standoff, prolonging government shutdown

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