Trump Orders Pentagon To Pay Troops Amid Govt Shutdown | World News

US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he has instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “use all available funds” to ensure troops receive their pay on October 15 during 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 went into shutdown on October 1, marking the first shutdown in nearly seven years. There is a risk that soldiers may not receive their next paycheck on October 15, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier Monday, Trump indicated he was ready to negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government after a Senate vote on another funding bill failed to resolve the impasse.

Republicans accuse Democrats of demanding health care benefits for illegal immigrants, which Democrats reject as a lie peddled by the Trump administration.

Democrats say they want a reversal of health care cuts to American citizens in the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year.

Nearly two-thirds of National Park Service employees, the federal agency that manages national parks, were also furloughed during the closure; This has affected tourist attractions such as the caves at 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 the National Zoo in Washington announced last week that they would remain open to the public until Oct. 11.

This is the first U.S. government shutdown in seven years; the last one occurred under Trump 1.0 and lasted 35 days; longest period in history.