Trump dijo que los militares recibirían su paga el viernes

WASHINGTON — According to a White House Office of Management and Budget official, the Trump administration plans to pay military personnel on Friday using a mix of legislative and Defense Department funding.

This will be the second time the White House has not paid salaries during the government shutdown, now in its 30th day. Military personnel are considered essential federal employees and are required to work during a funding shortfall, but essential personnel are typically not paid during a shutdown.

According to an OMB official, approximately $2.5 billion from the military housing funding portion of the "One Big Beautiful" bill passed this year by President Donald Trump will be used for Friday's paychecks. Additionally, $1.4 billion from the Pentagon's research and development account and $1.4 billion from its procurement account will be used, the official said.

This will bring the total amount to approximately $5.3 billion, down from the $6.5 billion allocated for troop salaries earlier this month. It's unclear why these amounts differ, and an OMB official did not respond to a request for comment on this specific issue.

According to Todd Harrison, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, the military's basic pay and allowances cost approximately $6.5 billion each pay period. 

A Pentagon official said, "President Trump is fulfilling his promise to take care of the troops during the Democrat-led government shutdown, and he has no objection to our bravest men and women not receiving pay."

 The Department of Defense recently accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million to pay troops during the shutdown, raising concerns from some Democrats about the legality and morality of the move.

 Earlier this week, on Capitol Hill, Vice President J.D. Vance said: "We believe we can continue paying troops on Friday. Unfortunately, we won't be able to pay everyone because the Democrats have treated us very badly."

 He added: "We believe we can continue paying troops, at least for now, but our food stamp benefits will expire in a week. We're trying to continue providing as many benefits as possible. We just need the Democrats' help."

Congressional Democrats have insisted that Republicans agree to increase subsidies for the Affordable Care Act so that premiums don't double or triple for many Americans before they vote to reopen the government next year. Republicans argue that negotiations on this issue should occur after funding for the entire federal government is restored.

Last week, the Senate failed to advance a Republican proposal that would have paid active-duty troops and other federal employees deemed essential during the shutdown. Senate Democrats proposed an alternative measure that would have increased the pay of all federal employees, but it also lacked the necessary votes to advance.

 Most federal employees have been furloughed during the shutdown, while others will have to work without pay until the government reopens. Both groups are expected to receive their full salaries when the shutdown, which began on October 1, ends.

 Speaker Mike Johnson of Los Angeles, a Republican who blames Democrats for the pay cuts, has repeatedly rejected attempts to reconvene the House to vote on a measure that would raise funds for vital government organs. He said on Thursday that "the rifle-shot bills you keep hearing about undermine the goal of fully reopening the government."

 Both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican-SD, have shown similar reluctance to pass separate legislation for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps, which provides food assistance to more than 40 million people nationwide.

 While Democrats on Saturday urged the Trump administration to release $5 billion in contingency funds to prevent cuts to SNAP benefits, Johnson said this week that the president has "no legal recourse" to cut contingency funds for SNAP because the program's statutory language does not allow it.