Ensure Military Pay During the Government Shutdown

During a government shutdown, active-duty service members and personnel must continue to carry out their duties while their scheduled paychecks are delayed until the shutdown is over. To remedy this situation during the 2013 government shutdown, Congress passed legislation to ensure that military pay and allowances continued on time. Rep. Jen Higgins (R-VA) has introduced a similar bill for this shutdown, H.R. 5401, the Pay Our Troops Act of 2026. Despite the bill having wide bipartisan support, as well as an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Speaker Mike Johnson has not brought the bill the floor for a vote.

The first missed pay period for military service members will be on October 15th, but Speaker Johnson has cancelled all work in the House indefinitely. Democrats tried to pass the bill on Oct 10th, but it was blocked by Republicans.

Without timely pay, military families will struggle to pay for food, rent, medication and other necessities. But despite Trump and Speaker Johnson’s proclamations of support for our military, they are hindering the passage of a bipartisan bill to ensure their pay. Demand your representatives support the Pay Our Troops Act and pressure leadership to pass this stand-alone bill immediately.

Check if your House Rep has signaled support for H.R. 5401 by co-sponsoring the bill here.