Vice President J.D. Vance stated that U.S. troops will receive their paychecks on Friday despite the ongoing government shutdown, which has persisted for nearly a month. “We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters, as reported by The Center Square. He added, “We’ve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out.”

Earlier this month, the Trump administration allocated approximately $8 billion from unobligated research and development funds to cover military payroll on October 15. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated Sunday that the Department of War has sufficient unobligated funding to pay service members through October but warned that by November 15, troops would face unpaid salaries. “I think we’ll be able to pay them beginning in November, but by Nov. 15 our troops and service members who are willing to risk their lives aren’t going to be able to get paid,” Bessent said on “Face the Nation.”

Approximately 334,900 civilian employees at the Department of War were scheduled for furloughs during the shutdown, according to a Pentagon contingency plan. Vance reiterated that while troops would receive pay on Friday, “we’re not going to be able to pay everybody, because we’ve been handed a very bad hand by the Democrats.” He attributed the situation to federal workforce layoffs, stating, “This is one of the reasons why you’ve seen some layoffs in the federal workforce.”

Vance reiterated the Republican strategy of persuading a small number of Senate Democrats to support stopgap funding to reopen the government. However, after nearly a month, this approach has failed. A recent Senate vote on reopening legislation collapsed for the 13th time. Democratic lawmakers face increasing pressure to end the deadlock, intensified by the American Federation of Government Employees, which urged Congress to pass a funding bill and ensure full pay for workers. Everett Kelley, the union’s president, called for an immediate “clean continuing resolution” to end the shutdown.

Despite these demands, Democratic senators, including those from states with large federal workforces, showed no willingness to concede. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine emphasized the need for commitments to prevent further worker dismissals and pushed for extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. “We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.