Additional Coverage:
Speaker Johnson Rules Out Standalone Vote for Military Pay Amid Government Shutdown
Washington D.C. – House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) indicated Wednesday that he would not bring the House of Representatives back to Washington for a separate vote aimed at ensuring military service members receive their pay on time during the ongoing government shutdown.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Johnson asserted that the House had already addressed the issue last month by passing a federal funding bill designed to keep troops paid and prevent the shutdown entirely. He argued that the onus is now on the Senate to pass that measure. The government shutdown is currently in its eighth day.
“I want everybody to listen to me very carefully,” Johnson stated. “[House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.] and the House Democrats…are clamoring to get back here and have another vote because some of them want to get on record and say they’re for paying the troops.
We already had that vote. It’s called the [continuing resolution].”
He elaborated, “Every Republican and at least one Democrat had the common sense to say, ‘Of course, we want the government to stay in operation. Of course, we want to pay our troops and our air traffic controllers and our Border Patrol agents, TSA, and everybody else.’ We did have that vote.”
Military personnel are scheduled to receive their next paycheck next Wednesday. However, this payment will be deferred if the government remains shut down.
A continuing resolution (CR) is an extension of current federal funding levels, intended to provide lawmakers with additional time to negotiate a comprehensive government spending agreement for the upcoming fiscal year.
The Republican-led CR that passed the House aimed to maintain federal funding at steady levels through November 21 and included an additional $88 million for security spending benefiting lawmakers, the White House, and the judicial branch.
Despite House passage, this bill has encountered significant hurdles in the Senate, failing five times so far. Democrats have insisted on coupling any CR with an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of 2025.
Republicans have accused Democrats of leveraging partisan demands to hold Americans and government operations hostage. Conversely, Democrats have warned that the GOP would be responsible for increasing healthcare costs for millions if the enhanced COVID-era subsidies are allowed to lapse.
Military service members are among the federal employees designated as “essential” during a shutdown, meaning they are required to continue their duties even without receiving their regular paychecks. They are, however, expected to receive backpay once the shutdown is resolved.
During a private call with House Republicans on Saturday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) highlighted October 15 as a critical date in the ongoing shutdown impasse. This date marks the military’s next payday, and it would be the first paycheck U.S. troops miss if the government remains closed.