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President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged that U.S. military service members would receive “every last penny” of their pay despite the ongoing government shutdown.
Speaking at Naval Station Norfolk to mark the Navy’s 250th anniversary, Trump praised the military’s commitment to service and vowed to stand with them amid the funding impasse.
“The U.S. Navy always stands for America,” Trump said. “As Commander-in-Chief, I will always stand for you. Despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny.”
Trump told the crowd not to worry about missing pay, adding that his administration supports “across-the-board pay raises for every sailor and service member of the United States Armed Forces.”
According to the National Military Family Association, active-duty personnel are still required to report for duty because national defense is considered essential. Service members were paid on Oct. 1 for work before the shutdown began, but if the funding lapse continues beyond two weeks, future paychecks could be affected.
Lawmakers have introduced the Pay Our Troops Act (H.R. 5401) to ensure military pay continues during any shutdown.
The president also criticized Democrats for pushing proposals that he said would provide free health care to people in the country illegally, arguing that such policies would encourage more illegal immigration.
“They want to give all of our money to illegal aliens that pour into the country,” Trump said. “When you do that, they come in by the millions.”
Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, have denied those claims, saying no federal dollars are allocated to undocumented immigrants. The shutdown, which began last Wednesday, has halted several nonessential federal services and left agencies preparing for extended disruptions as negotiations continue in Washington.
RSBN previously reported that essential services such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue its deportation operations even as the federal government shut down on Thursday, with the majority of its workforce designated as essential, according to a contingency plan released by the Department of Homeland Security.
The plan shows more than 19,000 of ICE’s roughly 21,000 employees will remain on the job during a lapse in funding, tasked with carrying out arrests, deportations and other law enforcement duties.
“It’s business as usual,” one ICE official said, according to The Daily Wire, noting that agents are required to report for work regardless of the budget standoff.
