President Trump stated on Saturday he instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to allocate “all available funds” to ensure military personnel received their paychecks. “Chuck Schumer recently claimed, ‘Every day gets better’ during the Radical Left Shutdown. I DISAGREE! If no action is taken, due to ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th,” Trump said.

“The reason for this is my authority as Commander in Chief, directing 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,” he added.

Trump criticized the Democratic Party for holding the military “HOSTAGE” through the government shutdown, urging the Radical Left Democrats to “OPEN THE GOVERNMENT” to address issues like healthcare.

Federal employees faced layoffs as the partial government shutdown continued, with notices sent on Friday indicating 60-day furloughs. House Speaker Mike Johnson noted the first day of unpaid paychecks for federal workers since the shutdown began on October 1. Military personnel also risked missing their October 15th paycheck amid the stalemate.

Congress remained deadlocked, with Senate rejections of spending bills and a delay in resolving the shutdown until at least next week. Air traffic controller shortages caused flight delays, though back pay is expected once the shutdown ends. Over 4,000 federal workers were laid off, affecting agencies including the Treasury Department and Health and Human Services. The Justice Department cited potential future layoffs in other departments.