Vice President JD Vance assured a gathering of U.S. Marines that they will get paid, even as future checks are imperiled due to the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump previously shifted $8 billion from unused research and development funding at the Pentagon in order to cover paychecks for over 1 million active-duty troops and thousands of National Guard members and reservists. While that may have solved the problem for part of October, troops are still facing another period without pay on Oct. 31, especially as the shutdown continues with no end in sight.
Vance took part of a 250th anniversary event for the Marines at Camp Pendleton on Saturday to dispel those concerns, conveying a message from Trump, who is staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort this weekend.
“I bring greetings today from our commander-in-chief, Donald J. Trump,” Vance began. “He wanted me to tell each and every single one of you that he’s proud of you, that he loves you, and that despite the Schumer shutdown, he is going to do everything he can to make sure you get paid exactly as you deserve.”
Vance also railed against Senate Democrats, who have dug in on their shutdown stance over concerns about expiring Obamacare subsidies, while underscoring the need to find funds to pay U.S. troops if the shutdown should stretch even longer, quipping that “every bar in Southern California” would go out of business if soldiers go unpaid.
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Despite his assurances, Vance’s remarks signal that the research and development funds won’t be tapped again in the event the government is still shut down come the end of October.
That is largely in line with Republican leadership, particularly House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who said on Wednesday that Trump’s move to pay troops with those funds was a “temporary fix.”
