"The House is done": Johnson rules out stand-alone vote on paying troops during shutdown
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Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to members of the media following the Republican Senate Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 7. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday ruled out taking up legislation to ensure military paychecks keep flowing during the government shutdown, telling reporters the House "already had that vote."
Why it matters: Troops are slated to miss their Oct. 15 paycheck if Congress doesn't act.
- "The job in the House is done," Johnson said.
- The stance reflects the GOP's larger strategy to make the shutdown as painful as possible for Democrats to pressure them to reopen the government.
- "Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democrats ... are clamoring to get back here and have another vote, because some of them want to get on record and say they're for paying the troops. We already had that vote. It's called the CR," Johnson added.
Zoom in: The bill, introduced by Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans (R), has 122 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House. It would cover members of the armed forces, including the Coast Guard.
- Active-duty troops are expected to continue working without pay but will receive back pay once the government reopens.
- In a statement first shared with Axios, Kiggans urged leadership to take up her legislation immediately.
- "The President has made it clear: we must pay our troops. I'm urging the Speaker and our House leadership to immediately pass my bill to ensure our servicemembers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck while supporting their families, receive the pay they've earned. Military pay should not be held hostage due to Washington's dysfunction!" she said.
State of play: Johnson has kept his members out of town during the shutdown, and the House hasn't voted since Sept. 19.
- Johnson's argument is that the House already did its job by passing a clean stopgap measure, and now the ball is in the Senate's court.
- "It does us no good to be here dithering on show votes," Johnson said Wednesday when asked directly about Kiggans' bill.
Catch up quick: Congress has previously stepped in during shutdowns to protect military pay.
- In 2013, Congress passed the Pay Our Military Act just hours before the government shut down.
- And in 2019, Congress had already passed the Department of Defense appropriations bill, and pay for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps was not disrupted. The Coast Guard, however, was not included.
- Congress hasn't yet passed a fiscal 2026 defense appropriations bill.
The intrigue: Johnson said Tuesday he was open to Kiggans' bill, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) quickly interjected and called the measure unnecessary.
- "I'm certainly open to that. We've done it in the past. We want to make sure that our troops are paid," Johnson said.
- Thune then interjected: "Honestly, you don't need that."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
