(MENAFN- Live Mint) President Donald Trump directed the Defense Department to use any remaining funds to continue paying military personnel during the US government shutdown, a move that is popular politically but raises legal concerns and could extend the 15-day budget standoff.

While Trump did not specify which funds would cover the approximately $8 billion needed for defense payroll, he instructed the Pentagon to use unspent money from other accounts that have a“reasonable, logical relationship to the pay and allowances of military personnel", a report by Bloomberg noted. The White House officials had earlier suggested that research and development funds were the most likely source.

'Use for purpose of pay and allowances any funds appropriated by the Congress'

According to text of the executive order which the White House shared, Trump ordered Pentagon chief Pete Hegset“to use for the purpose of pay and allowances any funds appropriated by the Congress that remain available for expenditure in Fiscal Year 2026 to accomplish the scheduled disbursement of military pay and allowances for active duty military personnel.”

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Issued as a national security presidential memorandum rather than an executive order, the directive stated that the president was exercising his constitutional authority as commander in chief. Normally, spending laws prevent the president from using funds not specifically approved by Congress.

The Pentagon stated that troops received their pay earlier on Wednesday, the first scheduled payday since the shutdown started on October 1 and that leave and earnings statements had been updated in the payroll system, the report said.

Missing this payday would have been the first instance in decades of service members going without pay due to a government shutdown. In the past, funding gaps were either brief or ensured that defense spending was not affected.

During the 2013 government shutdown , military personnel continued to receive pay thanks to a separate bill passed by Congress called the“Pay Our Military Act”, according to Reuters. This year, Republican Representative Jen Kiggans proposed a comparable measure, the“Pay Our Troops Act”, but it failed to pass before Speaker Johnson dismissed the House last month.

(With inputs from agencies)

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