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Time is moving retired to find the adjacent solution to get service members paid during the authorities shutdown, arsenic the $8 cardinal the Trump medication recovered to screen troops’ paychecks is owed to tally retired astatine the extremity of the month.
After Senate Democrats connected Thursday sank a vote connected Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) measure to wage active-duty subject unit and national employees required to enactment during the shutdown, troops, sailors and Air Force members may not person their Oct. 31 paycheck.
Now, with the shutdown into its 4th week and nary extremity successful sight, the medication volition request to fig retired wherever to propulsion further funds from if it wants its forces to beryllium paid, should Congress neglect to travel up with a solution in time.
“While I americium grateful President Trump paid work members frankincense far, I americium acrophobic that wealth volition tally retired by the extremity of October and our subject won’t get paid connected time,” said Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), a erstwhile Navy chopper aviator who past period introduced a stand-alone subject wage bill, the Pay Our Troops Act. The measure has made small movement.
Trump connected Oct. 11 directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to pay work members’ midmonth paychecks by utilizing $8 cardinal successful antecedently appropriated Pentagon funds meant for research, development, trial and valuation (RDT&E).
But that wage rhythm outgo astir $6.5 billion, leaving lone $1.5 cardinal leftover for the looming Oct. 31 payday, which is expected to outgo $6 cardinal to $7 billion, according to Todd Harrison, a elder chap astatine the American Enterprise Institute.
“My knowing is that the archetypal wealth pulled from the RDT&E relationship was lone capable to screen the Oct. 15th payroll,” helium told The Hill.
Harrison said determination are plentifulness of different accounts with carryover backing from erstwhile years that Pentagon enactment tin pat to support the wage flowing for months, but astatine the extremity of the day, “they are conscionable robbing Peter to (literally) wage Paul,” helium said. “Once backing is restored, they volition request to determination this wealth backmost into the accounts it came from.”
The Pentagon did not respond to a petition for remark from The Hill arsenic to whether officials person identified immoderate other payroll sources.
The upcoming deadline appears to person lawmakers connected some sides of the aisle worried, aft senators voted 54-45 against advancing authorities from Johnson that would person guaranteed wage for indispensable national workers, including members of the military, during the authorities shutdown.
Georgia's Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) successful breaking ranks successful voting for the Republican bill, known arsenic the Shutdown Fairness Act, which needed 60 votes to determination forward.
Though national employees are guaranteed backmost wage erstwhile the authorities reopens, the measure would person fixed immoderate alleviation to national workers going without wage earlier that happens.
But Democrats — who person held steadfast successful demanding that Republicans widen soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies and negociate an extremity to the shutdown with them — saw the measure arsenic extending the shutdown by taking unit disconnected Republicans to negotiate.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) connected Thursday called Johnson’s measure “a ruse,” informing it would springiness the White House excessively overmuch powerfulness to find which national workers get paid and which stay furloughed.
“We volition not springiness Donald Trump a licence to play authorities with people’s livelihoods,” Schumer said.
Democrats alternatively wanted a measure from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), which would wage each national workers during the shutdown. That authorities also was blocked Thursday.
“Republicans are hell-bent connected letting Trump prime winners and losers here, but each national worker, servicemember, and national contractor deserves to get paid,” Van Hollen said successful a statement.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters that helium voted down Johnson's measure arsenic "we should wage each of our indispensable workers, not conscionable our military, but besides ICE and TSA and aerial controllers without the president picking and choosing his favorites."
Making matters much tricky, the Senate is acceptable to permission municipality Thursday day until Monday, and Trump has embarked connected a multiday travel to Asia.
Asked if Republicans person an alternate if the troops are not paid by Oct. 31, Johnson told reporters that Trump “only has truthful overmuch latitude” successful pulling backing from different areas arsenic helium did earlier this month.
“There's lone truthful galore pots of wealth that helium has the authority,” helium told reporters. “He's not a king, you know, helium lone has truthful overmuch authority.”
He added: “My conjecture is those pots of wealth are going to beryllium moving retired here, which is why, you know, this is important, truthful we'll see.”
The latest enactment comes aft Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) past week tried to determination up connected a stand-alone Defense Department backing bill, but that was blocked by the Democrats.
Looking ahead, Republicans adjacent week could effort to unit a ballot connected wage for subject members, aerial postulation controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees, arsenic good arsenic backing for cardinal nutrition benefits specified arsenic those nether the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program earlier they're chopped disconnected connected Nov. 1.
