Trump orders troops to be paid next week as he slams Schumer for shutdown

President Donald Trump criticized Democrats on Saturday over the ongoing government shutdown and said he was ordering War Secretary Pete Hegseth to make sure the military gets paid next week.

“Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their shutdown of the radical left,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I disagree! If nothing is done, because of “leader” Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our brave troops will not receive the paychecks they are rightfully owed on October 15.”

He said he had directed Hegseth “to use all available funds to PAY our troops on October 15. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”

“I will not allow Democrats to hold our military and our nation’s entire security hostage with their dangerous shutdown of government,” he added. “The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to solve health care and many other things they want to destroy. Thank you for your attention to this issue!”

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President Donald Trump said he is asking War Secretary Pete Hegseth to make sure the military gets paid next week. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The government shut down Oct. 1, after Democrats and Republicans failed to pass a spending bill to fund the government, with Democrats fearing that the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax cuts could raise premiums and that Medicaid cuts could leave people without coverage.

Trump on Monday blamed Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown, saying he would be “happy to work with Democrats on their failed health care policies” once the government reopens.

“Democrats SHUT DOWN the United States government in the midst of one of the most prosperous economies, with a record stock market, that our country has ever seen,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This has unfortunately affected many programs, services and other elements of society that Americans rely on – and it should not have happened.”

“I’m happy to work with Democrats on their failed health care policies, or anything else, but they must first allow our government to reopen,” he added.

Trump says government shutdown layoffs ‘up to par’ with Dems as standoff continues

Schumer recently said, “Every day gets better for us,” about the Democrats’ shutdown strategy. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Schumer recently told Punchbowl News, “Every day gets better for us,” about the Democrats’ shutdown strategy.

He added: “That’s because we thought about it well in advance and we knew health care would be the focus on September 30 and we prepared for it… Their whole theory was: Threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.”

Republicans blamed Schumer for the shutdown, saying it was intended to appease the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, particularly in his home state as Zohran Mamdani retains the lead in New York’s mayoral race and buzz swirls that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., could challenge Schumer in the upcoming primary. She has not officially declared her candidacy for the Senate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is joined by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer and Brian Steil for a press conference on the 10th day of the government shutdown, Friday, in Washington, DC. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

“Chuck Schumer just said the quietest part out loud: Democrats are gleefully inflicting pain on the American people because of their willingness to provide free health care to illegal aliens,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital.

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Schumer recently shared with Fox News Digital the remarks he made on the Senate floor.

“Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this lockdown, the worse things get for Americans – and the clearer it becomes who is fighting for them. Every day, our cause to improve health care and end this lockdown becomes stronger and stronger, as families open their letters showing how much their premiums will rise if Republicans get what they want. They understand why this fight is important – it’s about protecting their care health, their bank accounts and their future.”