Congress

Trump’s troop pay move is a ‘temporary fix,’ Johnson says

Published

6 months ago

October 15, 2025

President Donald Trump’s move to pay active-duty troops this week amid the shutdown is only a “temporary fix,” Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday, warning that service members will miss their Oct. 31 paychecks if Democrats don’t reopen the government by then.

The Pentagon moved Saturday to tap unused research and development funding to cover the checks due Wednesday to 1.3 million active-duty troops, as well as tens of thousands of National Guard members and reservists on active-duty orders. But the next round of paychecks is not guaranteed, Johnson said at a news conference, as he accused Democrats of using members of the military as “hostages.”

The White House has informed some lawmakers that it tapped roughly $6.5 billion for this week’s paychecks, less than the $8 billion the Trump administration disclosed over the weekend. That funding comes from a pot of about $10 billion leftover military R&D funding that’s available into next fall, according to a person familiar with the plan who was granted anonymity to speak about the details.

It’s unclear if the administration has other accounts it can tap for future paychecks. By law, it can transfer up to $8 billion between military accounts for the fiscal year that just came to a close Sept. 30. But the administration has not sought approval as required from senior congressional appropriators. The White House budget office has also yet to explain to top lawmakers the legal rationale for moving the money.

Many lawmakers in both parties support moving standalone legislation that would pay troops for the duration of the shutdown, but Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune both argued the solution was for Senate Democrats to approve the stopgap spending bill the House approved last month.

“House members have already voted to ensure our servicemembers receive their pay,” Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) said alongside Johnson on Wednesday.

While a swath of House and Senate Republicans have voiced private concerns to GOP leaders about the need for a separate troop pay bill, Republican leaders have remained opposed. They have argued that addressing troop pay would unleash a clamor from members and the public for other “rifle shot” bills that would reopen key parts of the federal government but ease pressure for an overall end to the shutdown, according to two people granted anonymity to describe the talks.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a senior Republican appropriator, said she thinks Trump’s move to pay troops “did take a little bit of the pressure off” Congress to reach an agreement to end the shutdown — to the detriment of other federal workers who aren’t getting paid.

“We’ve got to get the government fully open for everybody,” she told reporters Tuesday night. “We’ve got to make sure that those who are working — those who are taking care of us, keeping our skies safe, and solving some of the issues that we ask our federal employees to take on — get their paychecks.”

Leo Shane III contributed to this report.

Congress

Senate launches budget debate

Published

40 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Republicans opened debate Tuesday on a fiscal blueprint meant to pave the way for passage of a party-line immigration enforcement funding bill later this year.

The Senate voted 52-46 to advance the budget resolution, which Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) unveiled earlier Tuesday. It instructs House and Senate committees to write legislation expected to deliver about $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies.

The Senate is expected to give the measure final approval this week before leaving town. The chamber could move to a marathon voting session, known as a vote-a-rama, as soon as Wednesday, though plenty of Republicans are betting that it won’t start until Thursday.

Congress

Cherfilus-McCormick resigns amid ethics investigation

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) has resigned in the face of corruption charges at home and calls for her ouster in Washington, she announced in a statement on Tuesday.

News broke minutes before the House Ethics Committee was about to meet for a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to determine a punishment for the third-term Democrat, who was charged with stealing $5 million in Covid relief funds.

Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement the Ethics proceedings did not constitute a “fair process” and that she was “choos[ing] to step aside” rather than “play these political games.”

Congress

Rick Scott holds up Coast Guard promotions

Published

4 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is blocking quick confirmation of hundreds of Coast Guard promotions as he tries to resolve a dispute involving a shipbuilder in his home state.

The Republican said in an interview Tuesday that he has placed a hold on the Coast Guard promotions, which prevents the Senate from easily clearing them unanimously and would force Majority Leader John Thune to set up time-consuming roll call votes on promotions that are usually agreed to with little fanfare.

“I’ve been talking … since Trump came into office about trying to resolve an issue they have with a boat builder in Florida. And they … won’t put the time in to get a result,” Scott said.

“I’ve met with everybody that I can meet with, and I want them to focus,” Scott said of the Coast Guard, adding that he wasn’t trying to dictate the outcome to the administration but emphasizing “you have to get this resolved.”

Scott didn’t specify which shipbuilder he was referring to. But Scott has been a longtime booster of a Coast Guard contract with Panama City-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to deliver four new advanced cutters. A person granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter said the hold is related to the company.

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem scrapped plans for two of the boats last year, and ESG announced in November it would stop work on the two remaining boats “due to significant financial strain caused by the program’s structure and conditions.”

The tussle over the nominations comes as Thune is trying to quickly assemble and approve a new personnel package, telling reporters Monday night that confirming another tranche of President Donald Trump’s nominees is a priority alongside resolving the DHS shutdown and renewing soon-to-lapse surveillance powers.