US troops may go unpaid by mid-November if shutdown drags on

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Sunday that the United States may struggle to pay its military personnel by mid-November if the ongoing government shutdown continues.

Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, Bessent said temporary Pentagon funds have been used to pay military salaries so far, but those resources are nearly depleted. He said the government would likely manage to pay troops at the beginning of November, but by November 15, payments could stop altogether. He called the situation an embarrassment, noting that service members who risk their lives deserve to be paid on time.

The Defense Department confirmed on Friday that the administration has been relying on a 130 million dollar donation from an anonymous supporter of President Donald Trump to help pay military staff affected by the shutdown. Trump praised the donor, describing him as a generous individual who wanted to ensure that US troops continued receiving their salaries.

The funding crisis deepened after Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican-backed bill that would have guaranteed pay for active-duty military personnel and other essential federal workers. The measure failed in a 54-45 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

If the deadlock in Congress continues, hundreds of thousands of US service members could soon face delayed paychecks, raising concerns about morale and the wider impact of the shutdown.