Trump admin warns that military service members may not be paid if shutdown continues next month

The Trump administration was able to successfully pay military service members on Friday, but officials have warned this week that future paychecks might not be possible if the government shutdown continues next month.

The White House was able to pull enough money from a mix of defense and legislative funds in order to pay troops this week, and was also able to compensate service members on Oct. 15. But the next payday is Nov. 15.

“We were able to pay the military employees from excess funds at the Pentagon, middle of this month," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News on Monday. "I think we’ll be able to pay them beginning in November. But by November 15, our troops and service members who are willing to risk their lives aren’t going to be able to get paid." 

Although compensation has been covered so far, military families are still experiencing the effects of the shutdown in other ways, including through spouses who also work for the federal government not getting paid. Some families also have to do co-pays on certain medications for now if the pharmacy on base does not have it in stock.

Other families have been forced to ask military food assistance programs for help with covering grocery costs, according to Military Times. The Military Family Advisory Network’s Emergency Grocery Initiative has provided assistance to 4,000 military families so far, with more than 46,000 verified families still in the queue.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.