Lawmakers are digging in on a government shutdown that started Wednesday, the start of a new fiscal year and the deadline to pass new funding legislation. But with many workers already furloughed and many offices shuttered, some Republican lawmakers now seem to have a new deadline in mind: Oct. 15.
The ides of October is when most government workers are supposed to get their next paycheck — the first many may miss.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., acknowledged the new deadline in a conference call with Republican House members Saturday, according to two sources familiar with the matter, telling his fellow GOP lawmakers that they should pressure Democrats to accept the House-passed funding bill to avoid government workers’ not being paid on time.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also reportedly told senators on Tuesday that they had to resolve the shutdown by Oct. 13 to ensure that troops are paid on Oct. 15.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also trying to use the pressure of missed government paychecks as a reason to reopen government.
“The pay periods will matter greatly,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House Republicans on a call last month, according to another source.
A week into the shutdown — with few off-ramps in sight — the Senate tried and failed to pass a resolution for the fifth time Monday. As breakthroughs on the shutdown look few and far between, Republican leaders are eyeing any way to force action. And Oct. 15, the day most civilian and active-duty military would miss their first paychecks, has become the main pressure point in the fight to reopen the government.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told MSNBC that he thinks Oct. 15 would be “an excellent deadline.”
“We don’t need to cause any more pain,” Burchett said.
President Donald Trump also touched on the paycheck issue, saying at a celebration of the Navy’s 250th anniversary over the weekend that “despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny.”
The Trump administration is also trying to use the pressure of missed government paychecks as a reason to reopen government.
Of course, government workers should eventually get paid one way or another. A law enacted after the 2019 shutdown ensures they get back pay, though Trump is casting some doubt on the prospect. But lawmakers acknowledge that government employees’ missing a check is a major issue — and a reason for action.
Democrats and Republicans told MSNBC they would prefer action before Oct. 15. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Republicans should “reopen the government now.” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., similarly advocated for an immediate agreement.
“If we don’t get the next 24 hours, the complete civilian check doesn’t go out,” Lankford said. “It’s a bigger issue.”
A speedy resolution doesn’t look likely at the moment. Democrats maintain that they need some movement on the expiring Obamacare subsidies. And Republicans say they won’t negotiate on the subsidies until the government is reopened.
Either way, with the government already closed, the missing paycheck will be the next major pressure point — and it may be the motivation both sides need to change their tune.
