Rep. Vasquez Leads Push to Protect Troops’ Pay Amidst Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On October 8, 2025, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) led a pushto support our military service members amidst the ongoing government shutdown, urging Speaker Johnson to bring Republican lawmakers back to work in D.C. to pass a bill that ensures troops are paid by the looming October 15 deadline.

"If Congress does not act by October 15th, nearly three millionmilitary families will miss their next paycheck. That's unacceptable - our military families and troops deserve better," noted the letter to Speaker Johnson, which was led by Rep. Vasquez, co-led by Rep. Derek Tran, and co-signed by 77 other House Democrats. Should Congress fail to act, 22,000active duty and reserve personnel in New Mexico will be forced to work without pay.

"Our troops selflessly serve and defend our country every single day, and they deserve to be paid on time for their work," said Vasquez. "I'm calling on Speaker Johnson to do what's right for our military families and get Republicans back to Washington to vote to pay our servicemen and women. There's no excuse for inaction, because when it comes to paying our troops, there is no room for partisan politics."

"Our troops put their lives on the line for our freedom. They have our backs; Congress needs to have theirs. I'm proud to fight for our troops to get the pay that they have earned. It's not just the right thing to do - it's essential for the safety of our country," said Rep. Derek Tran."As a Veteran, I saw firsthand that our troops already make far too little - often living paycheck to paycheck. Instead of working across the aisle to deliver better pay and benefits for our troops, Republicans have taken a paid vacation while the government is shut down, leaving nearly three million military families out in the cold. Our heroes shouldn't have to pay the price for typical Washington dysfunction. I'm proud to join Representative Gabe Vasquez to lead this important effort to get our troops the pay they have earned. I am eager to work across the aisle to reopen the government, protect health care, and stand up for the dedicated men and women who serve our country."

This push to protect troop pay builds on Rep. Vasquez's ongoing commitment to work across the aisle to reach a funding deal that ends the government shutdown, protects working class Americans' access to health care, and ensures New Mexico's state government isn't left to foot the bill for federal programs.

Vasquez is also a cosponsor of H.R. 5401, the Pay Our Troops Act, a bipartisan bill to ensure that services members, as well as civilian employees and contractors, are paid during the shutdown. The letter highlights that during the 2013 government shutdown, Congress successfully passed the Pay Our Military Act, a similar bill which provided pay for members of the Armed Forces during a government shutdown.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Vasquez is a strong supporter of the U.S. militaryand the brave service members who defend our country.

Rep. Vasquez has repeatedly championed efforts to improve service members' quality of life, including:

• His introduction of the TRICARE Travel Improvement Act, a measure which helps military families serving in remote areas access health care and was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which just passed the House.
• His support of a historic 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay increase for all other service members in the FY25 NDAA.
• His work to improvethe availability and quality of housingand other quality of life infrastructure at remote installations such as White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) as a part of the FY25 NDAA, as well as a letter to the Secretary of the Army asking why $7 million in housing improvement funds were delayed from reaching WSMR for over a year.

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