Treasury Shuffling Funds So Troops Can Get Paid During Shutdown, Bessent Says

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Oct. 13 that the Treasury Department is adjusting its payment processes so active-duty service members can continue to be paid during the government shutdown. Bessent’s remarks, made in an Oct. 13 interview on Fox Business, follow a pledge by President Donald Trump, who said over the weekend that he had directed the Pentagon to use “all available funds” to keep paying troops during the shutdown ahead of a looming Oct. 15 military payday. While Trump said that the funds for this purpose had been “identified,” he did not specify their source, leading to speculation whether the White House would tap mandatory spending streams or accounts expanded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or if there were other means to access the money. Bessent has now clarified that there would be a “shuffle” in spending priorities in order to make the payroll....