President Donald Trump told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday that he the worst results of a possible government shutdown would be the impact on the US military.
Trump, before entering the Pentagon, said the government “very well could” shut down.
“We are just here to support the general and all of the generals, we are here to support our country’s military. If the country shuts down, which very well could be, the budget should be handled a lot differently than it has been handled over the last long period of time, many years, but if for any reason it shuts down, the worst thing is what happens to our military,” he said.
However, If the government were to shut down, the military is considered essential and would still report for duty, US officials have said.
A US defense official also confirms the military gets paid on the 1st and 15th of every month. Funding runs through midnight Friday and they got paid on Monday, so it’s a non-issue unless a shutdown goes until February 1, assuming Congress will approve back pay.
Military personnel must report to work and still would be paid at the first pay period after the shutdown ends.
In the 2013 shutdown, Congress passed a bill that paid military personnel.