Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters that U.S. troops will receive a paycheck on Friday despite the ongoing government shutdown, which has now lasted approximately one month. “We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters, according to The Center Square. “We’ve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out,” he added. BREAKING: The White House has found a way to make sure troops are PAID this week, despite the ongoing Schumer Shutdown, VP JD Vance has confirmed Fantastic. These heroes deserve every dime on time. pic.twitter.com/DhOvKFACni — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 28, 2025 More from The Center Square: Earlier this month, the Trump administration used about $8 billion of unobligated research and development, testing and evaluation funds from last year to cover payroll on Oct. 15. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the Department of War has enough unobligated funding to pay military members through October. “I think we’ll be able to pay them beginning in November, but by Nov. 15 our troops and service members who are willing to risk their lives aren’t going to be able to get paid,” Bessent said on “Face the Nation.” Some 334,900 civilian employees at the Department of War were set to be furloughed during the government shutdown, according to a Pentagon contingency plan released before the shutdown took effect. “We believe that we can continue to pay the troops on Friday. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to pay everybody, because we’ve been handed a very bad hand by the Democrats,” Vance said. “This is one of the reasons why you’ve seen some layoffs in the federal workforce,” he added. Check it out: Vice President JD Vance says U.S. Military troops will be paid on Friday and for the foreseeable future. “We believe that we can continue to pay the troops on Friday. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to pay everybody, because we’ve been handed a very bad hand by the… pic.twitter.com/zoMqRf1YzD — RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) October 28, 2025 The Associated Press shared more: The vice president reaffirmed Republicans’ strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. But nearly a month into the shutdown, it hasn’t worked. Just before Vance’s visit, a Senate vote on legislation to reopen the government failed for the 13th time. The strain is building on Democratic lawmakers to end the impasse. That was magnified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which on Monday called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point. “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers. Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act. “We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.