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How a shutdown would affect the military

Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images

A senior administration official said Friday night that 1.3 million military personnel in the U.S. and overseas wouldn‘t be paid until after a shutdown ends, in the event that the Senate does not pass a spending bill by midnight tonight.

Why it matters: The estimate is a way for the Trump administration to play up the most painful effects of a shutdown, which they would blame on the Democrats. President Trump tweeted on Thursday that a government shutdown "will be devastating to our military," and on Tuesday said "the biggest loser" in a shutdown "will be our rapidly rebuilding Military."

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Senior administration officials also said that the president’s activities in an official capacity would not be restricted by a shutdown, as they are "based on his exercise of his constitutional responsibility."

  • Officials also said that work on Trump's budget would not be continued during a shut down.
  • IT and IT security services would continue operating by doing "what is necessary to protect either the IT systems or the information they house."
  • Generally, mandatory spending programs like Medicare and Social Security will continue uninterrupted.
Government shutdown
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