Summary
President Donald Trump has told the Pentagon to use all available money to ensure military personnel get paid during the ongoing government shutdown. As the shutdown continues, many federal employees are either working without pay or are on leave. Political disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over spending plans have kept the government closed for nearly 12 days.
Key Facts
- President Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to pay military troops despite the government shutdown.
- Military personnel were expected to miss their regular paycheck on October 15 due to the shutdown.
- About 750,000 federal employees (roughly 40%) have been furloughed, which means they are temporarily sent home without pay.
- Furloughed workers usually receive back-pay when a shutdown ends, but there is uncertainty about that happening this time.
- Political disagreements are at the center of the shutdown, with Republicans and Democrats blaming each other.
- President Trump criticized Democrats for not agreeing to a Republican spending plan, citing healthcare disagreements.
- The Trump administration started laying off thousands of federal workers, cutting jobs at agencies like the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security.
- Two major unions have filed a lawsuit in California in response to the layoffs.
