Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that military personnel will keep getting paid during the shutdown, noting President Trump has secured new funding to prevent the first-ever lapse in troop pay.
“We believe that we can continue to pay the troops on Friday,” he said after addressing a closed-door Senate GOP lunch. “Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to pay everybody, because we’ve been handed a very bad hand by the Democrats. This is one of the reasons why you’ve seen some layoffs in the federal workforce. We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now.”
Vance said the White House is working to keep “as much open as possible,” including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food aid program expected to run out of funds this week. He added that officials are “exploring all options” to maintain food benefits and troop pay, noting it would be easier if Democrats voted to reopen the government.
“There are limitations on all these funds. There are limitations on how you can use them,” Vance said. “Obviously, it’s a limited pot of money, so even if you use them for one thing, that means you can’t use them for another.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Vance didn’t address military pay or SNAP funding during the closed-door lunch. The Pentagon had used a research account to cover earlier troop payments, but details on upcoming pay remain unclear. Senators instead focused on President Trump’s plan to import beef from Argentina, according to several attendees. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said Republicans gave Vance an “earful,” but two other senators said he offered no sign that President Trump plans to alter his beef import strategy.
Vance’s lunch with Senate Republicans came on Day 28 of the shutdown, following Democrats’ rejection of a House bill to fund the government through Nov. 21. He urged GOP senators to stay united and resist narrow funding “rifle shot” bills. Afterward, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters such measures were off the table.
“This piecemeal approach where you do one-off here, one-off there … that is the wrong way to do this,” Thune said. “That’s not the way to approach this.”
Vance urged GOP senators to back Trump’s tariff campaign ahead of votes that could roll back duties on Brazil, Canada, and others. He said tariffs “give us the ability to put American workers first,” while acknowledging differing views among Republicans. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said Vance’s message was to “stick together” behind the president’s trade efforts.
BREAKING from True News: JD Vance heading into meeting with Senators to discuss shutdown pic.twitter.com/E2Y32aa9nv
— Dennis Michael Lynch (@TrustDML) October 28, 2025
