Active-duty service members across the United States are expected to miss their next paycheck as the government shutdown enters its second week, following Senate Democrats’ decision to block a Republican-led funding bill that would have reopened the government.
The shutdown, which began on October 1, has left 1.3 million active-duty troops reporting to work without assurance of timely pay.
Despite bipartisan calls to restore government operations, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and most Democrats in the chamber have repeatedly rejected a clean funding measure.
Democrats have now voted EIGHT TIMES to BLOCK pay for our troops and federal workers.
Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats think every day of this shutdown “gets better” for them — even as it hurts hardworking Americans.
Once again, Democrats are putting AMERICANS LAST. pic.twitter.com/0uIM2cKfW5
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 10, 2025
They have instead argued that the responsibility lies with Republicans to resolve the impasse.
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Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of federal workers received partial pay on Friday as the funding lapse continued.
House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the situation during a Friday press conference, describing the growing strain on federal workers and military families.
“We’re not in a good mood here in the Capitol. It’s a somber day,” Johnson said.
“Today marks the first day federal workers across America will receive a partial paycheck thanks to Democrats’ obstruction to the system here. This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and reopen the government.”
Johnson warned that the situation will worsen for military personnel in the coming days.
“Starting next week, American service members, many of whom live paycheck-to-paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck,” he said.
“If Democrats don’t end this paycheck by Monday, then that October 15th [pay] date will pass us by.”
Senate Republican Whip John Thune echoed Johnson’s concern, calling the possibility of troops missing pay “beyond the pale.”
If the funding lapse extends into next week, it will mark the first time in U.S. history that active-duty military members go unpaid during a government shutdown.
The White House confirmed that President Trump and his administration are reviewing potential legal options to ensure service members continue to receive pay despite the funding freeze.
“We are exploring every legal maneuver at our disposal to pay troops during the Democrat Shutdown,” a senior administration official told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The financial strain on military families has already become apparent.
Charitable organizations such as Blue Star Families and Army Emergency Relief (AER) have reported significant surges in assistance requests.
Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families, told CNN that fewer than one in three military families have at least $3,000 in savings to fall back on.
“It’s an incredibly stressful situation for families who are already living paycheck-to-paycheck,” she said.
Army Emergency Relief has approved over $7 million in financial assistance for soldiers preparing to miss the October 15 payday.
The Air Force’s charitable fund also reported being overwhelmed with applications for emergency support, estimating “several million in potential funds” available for airmen and Space Force guardians.
Sean Ryan, a spokesperson for AER, said more than 6,000 people created new accounts on the organization’s portal since October 8, with over 90% expected to request financial aid.
“Currently, we are receiving applications on the portal for approval and putting them in the queue so they are ready for payment by [October] 15th,” Ryan said.
“We are prepared for $50 million but will make adjustments as needed if more.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, speaking at a press conference Friday, blamed Republicans for the continued shutdown.
“They’re not serious about reopening the government. Republicans aren’t even serious about paying our active-duty troops,” Jeffries told reporters.
He added that Democrats remain “ready, willing and able” to negotiate, though his caucus has repeatedly voted against temporary stopgap measures that would have funded government operations and ensured troop pay.
Senator Thune, however, has urged Democrats to reconsider and join Republicans in voting for the bipartisan spending bill waiting on the Senate floor.
“All that has to happen is we pick up the bill off the Senate desk, five Democrats join us in addition to those who already have, and the government opens up again, and then you don’t have that discussion, everybody gets paid again,” Thune said during an appearance on PBS NewsHour.
With the October 15 payroll deadline approaching, military families across the country are bracing for the financial fallout of the continued stalemate.
Unless a funding agreement is reached over the weekend, the shutdown will cause the first-ever missed paychecks for active-duty service members in U.S. history.
