WASHINGTON–With a paycheck due at the end of the week and the federal government still shut down, Vice President JD Vance said members of the military will be paid, saying a new source of funding has been identified.
“We believe that we can continue to pay the troops on Friday,” he said after addressing a closed-door Senate GOP lunch, according to Politico. “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.”
Paying for SNAP
“As much as possible,” Vance also said the White House funding will be provided for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the federal food aid program that is set to run out of cash at the end of the week.
“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) told Politico that Vance did not provide additional details on how the federal government would pay the military or fund SNAP. Pentagon made payments to active duty troops earlier this month by tapping a Defense Department research and development account. The White House has not released details about how the upcoming paychecks will be funded, Politico reported.
Navy Federal Won’t Have to Float Many Boats (Yet)
As the CU Daily reported earlier, the world’s largest credit union will not have to provide potentially huge support.
In response to a query from the CU Daily, a spokesperson for Navy Federal said, “Compared to previous shutdowns, there has been a significant increase in interest for our Government Shutdown Loan Program. Currently, we have over 350,000 members enrolled for assistance. Navy Federal’s members stand to have up to $2.5 billion impacted per missed pay period. Of that, 80% is tied to active-duty military and reserves, which has not been affected by any pay disruptions so far.
A ’Fluid Situation’
“Currently, our disbursements are $157 million to our members who’ve missed all or some of their paychecks,” the spokesperson continued. “This is a fluid situation, one we are monitoring closely, and we encourage our members to stay up to date on the program and any potential changes that may be necessary by visiting our website.”
Navy Federal just surpassed 15 million total members.
