As the partial government shutdown enters its third week, federal employees will soon begin missing paychecks.
President Donald Trump had previously directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure troops get paid during the shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has maintained that he will not call the chamber back into session to vote on a bill to ensure military personnel receive paychecks, noting the House had already passed a bill to fund the government.
Federal employees, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers, were paid Friday, but only through Sept. 30, The Hill reported.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday he would authorize paychecks to U.S. military service members.
But the government was forced to hold back on payments to other federal workers and services in areas such as Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo.
Many pundits believe missed paychecks will force lawmakers to make a deal.
"When the threat comes, they all say, OK, now we have to negotiate. When it actually happens will be the time when they all say, OK, now we actually have to get in a room and negotiate,'" Jonathan Kott, a longtime aide to former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., told The Hill.
"The second you're getting yelled at by your constituents, you then are forced to say, OK, now I have to sit in a room, now I have to figure out a compromise, now I have to work on a deal on opening the government and helping millions of Americans afford healthcare," Kott added. "Just saying no doesn't work anymore."
Republicans need eight senators to pass a bill that will fund the government through November.
Three Democrats have already voted for the GOP bill, while Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky remained the lone Republican holdout.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has warned that the Trump administration will have to make tough decisions as the shutdown drags on.
The administration "is going to have to start making some decisions about how to move money around, which agencies and departments are going to be impacted, which programs are going to be impacted, which employees are going to be impacted," Thune said Friday.
The administration is already laying off federal employees, blaming the shutdown.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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