Senators Coons, Schumer, Murray, Reed introduce The Armed Forces Pay Act and call for unanimous passage to ensure pay for military personnel, intel community continues during[...]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and 18 of their Democratic colleagues today introduced the Armed Forces Pay Act, legislation to ensure that military personnel continue to receive pay during the ongoing government shutdown. Shortly afterward, Senator Coons went to the floor of the Senate to call for unanimous consent to pass his legislation, where it was blocked by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Paychecks for servicemembers are scheduled to go out tomorrow.

On October 1, 2025, the U.S. federal government shut down due to a lapse in appropriations-meaning 1.3 million active-duty personnel and over 750,000 National Guard and Reserve personnel are still required to serve without pay. The Trump administration directed the Pentagon to move approximately $4.5 billion from military research and development accounts to cover payroll costs for military personnel, but the legality and sustainability of that measure is unclear. The administration has announced plans to resort to similar tactics for the next pay period.

The Armed Forces Pay Act would provide mandatory funding for fiscal year 2026 during a lapse in appropriations, guaranteeing pay for all active-duty and reserve service members, as well as all civilian employees of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the majority of the Intelligence Community.

The effort would apply retroactively to September 30, 2025, ensuring no interruption in pay for those affected.

"Taking care of the men and women of our armed forces and ensuring they receive their paychecks is our most basic obligation, and I won't stand by while this Republican shutdown endangers pay for servicemembers and civilians and debilitates troop morale," said Senator Coons. "The Armed Forces Pay Act will ensure that active duty and reserve troops and their civilian support continue to receive the pay they're owed without giving President Trump and Secretary Hegseth undeserved latitude to decide who should and shouldn't get paid during a shutdown. We need to pass this bill, pay our troops, and negotiate a deal to re-open the government so that no one else gets hurt by Republicans' willingness to keep the government closed."

"Republicans-for weeks-have refused to negotiate to end the shutdown, endangering pay for our brave servicemembers on top of barreling us toward a full-scale healthcare crisis," said Leader Schumer. "Now our troops will have to worry if they can pay the bills, make rent, or afford groceries. There is no reason we cannot pay our servicemembers-but Republicans continue to withhold these paychecks. Republicans need to stop playing politics, get serious about this shutdown, and give our troops what they deserve. It's our most basic of duties."

"Our troops should never have to wonder if and when they're getting paid, but that's exactly what's happened after President Trump and Republicans shut down the government," said Senator Murray. "There is absolutely no reason we cannot make sure the men and women who bravely serve our nation in our Armed Forces and defense civilian workers-like our shipyard workers at Puget Sound-get the paychecks they are counting on. If Republicans still refuse to work with Democrats to reopen the government and prevent health care costs from skyrocketing, they should at the very least be able to work with us to make sure our troops get paid. It is outrageous that Republicans blocked this straightforward bill to pay our troops and that they would rather keep the government shut down than simply sit down with Democrats at the negotiating table."

"U.S. troops deserve to be paid lawfully, on time, and without interruption, but President Trump is recklessly throwing uncertainty into the mix. Our forces should be able to focus on their mission without added financial stress. The Trump administration and some Republicans need to stop treating our servicemembers and their families like political pawns and work with Democrats to reopen the government. In the meantime, this bill would help protect our troops' paychecks and Congress must act on a bipartisan basis to ensure it passes," said Senator Reed.

The legislation improves upon alternative military pay bills introduced this year and in previous years by closing a loophole that inadvertently excluded certain members of the reserve component, and by removing broad discretionary language that allowed agency heads to decide which employees to pay-ensuring automatic pay coverage for those eligible.

In addition to Senator Coons, Schumer, and Murray, this legislation is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

You can read the full text of the bill here.