If Congress does not come to a deal to fund the government in the coming days, several paydays for military members, congressional staffers, and federal employees could pass without paychecks.

By Wednesday, more than 2 million active-duty military members will miss their first paychecks due to Congress failing to pass a 2026 defense appropriations bill that authorizes their salaries. In previous shutdowns during President Donald Trump’s first term, Congress had already funded the military or passed separate legislation to ensure troop pay continued uninterrupted.

Later this month, by Oct. 20 and Oct. 30, respectively, Senate and House staffers will have missed their paychecks, as their lawmaker bosses continue to get paid.

The House has been on recess for three weeks as an estimated 750,000 federal workers are furloughed. By Oct. 24, federal employees, including those at work and deemed essential, will have missed an entire pay period as Congress failed to fund the government for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

The risk of missed mortgage and rent payments for the military and civilian workforce is creating unease in Congress, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he is unwilling to call back the House for a stand-alone vote on military pay.

It is a shift from just a day earlier, when Johnson said he was open to advancing a bill to guarantee pay for troops and air traffic controllers if the funding lapse continued.

Speaking alongside Senate GOP leaders on Tuesday, Johnson said the House was “monitoring that day-by-day” and “certainly open” to such legislation, noting that Congress had taken similar steps in past shutdowns.