Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is going to extraordinary — and likely illegal — measures to pay members of the US military as a federal government shutdown stretches on.
What’s happening? Today is payday for the military, and under ordinary circumstances, they would miss a paycheck for the first time ever because of the government shutdown, now in its third week. Instead, the Trump administration says it is repurposing already-appropriated Defense Department funds to pay soldiers.
What’s the context? Military pay is just one way the Trump administration is circumventing some consequences of a shutdown; the administration is also using tariff revenue to fund a key nutrition program for low-income parents and children.
For millions of other federal workers, however, the continuing shutdown means no paychecks and potential financial peril.
Why does this matter? In previous shutdowns, military pay has become a pain point that can force lawmakers to come to the table and reopen the government — or at least pass a standalone bill to pay servicemembers. That may still happen if the shutdown continues, because it’s unclear how much extra money DOD can find to keep issuing paychecks. But at least for now, it lets lawmakers punt on the issue.
President Donald Trump’s maneuver also underscores the difficulty Democrats have with voting to fund the government. The actual issue — paychecks for troops — has clear bipartisan support, but the method — moving around congressionally appropriated dollars at will — is unlikely to boost Democratic confidence that the administration will stick to the terms of any new funding deal.
What’s the big picture? This is not just about the shutdown. By finding a way to pay the troops without involving Congress, Trump is encroaching on the constitutional power of the purse that is explicitly reserved for Congress alone. At the same time, Trump is also holding up congressionally appropriated funding when he wants. It’s an end-run around Congress from both directions, and an unprecedented concentration of power for a US president.
