House GOP blocks Dems' military pay bill as government shutdown threatens checks
Republicans argue that troops would be paid if Democrats voted to fund the government
By Elizabeth Elkind Fox News
Published October 10, 2025 2:41pm EDT
A Democrat-led bid to force through a bill to pay the military during the government shutdown was blocked in the House on Friday.
Democrats and some Republicans have been demanding a House vote on ensuring U.S. troops do not miss their coming Oct. 15 paycheck or any others as the government shutdown barrels into a third week.
But GOP leaders have largely dismissed the request, panning it as a Democrat bid to save face after rejecting Republicans' funding bill that would have kept the military and other federal workers paid.
Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., attempted to ask for unanimous consent to pass the legislation on Friday afternoon during a pro forma session in the House.
But House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., who was presiding over the chamber, gaveled out of session before Elfreth could finish reading her request.
Active duty service members are deemed "essential" and so must keep working during the government shutdown. But they and other federal employees are expected to miss pay until the government is funded — at which point they would receive back pay from the checks skipped during the shutdown.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-blocks-dems-military-pay-bill-government-shutdown-threatens-checks
