Government Shutdown Halts Pay for U.S. Troops

On September 30th, 2025, the Pentagon’s budget expired in the United States. Congress failed to pass a new budget or temporary funding in time, resulting in a partial government shutdown.

The suspension of funding was announced on the official account of the U.S. Marine Corps on X.

According to the provisions of the Antideficiency Act, service members are required to continue performing their duties even without receiving pay.

Civilian employees who do not perform critical functions have been placed on mandatory unpaid leave. Those involved in security or protection are continuing to work, but also without pay.

After the shutdown ends, all employees will receive back pay – this is guaranteed by a special law passed in 2019.

The Pentagon has special contingency plans for such situations. These plans allow critical operations related to national defense to continue.

Historically, since 1977, the U.S. Congress has passed temporary funding resolutions in every fiscal year except three.

The current funding halt affects not only the defense sector but also other federal agencies without an approved budget.

This poses risks to the implementation of programs related to national security, defense procurement, and international commitments.

As of October 2nd, 2025, the situation remains unresolved. Negotiations between lawmakers are ongoing, but so far there are no signs of a swift financial resolution.

The most recent U.S. government shutdown occurred from December 22nd, 2018, to January 25th, 2019.

At that time, the government was partially closed for a record 35 days due to disputes over funding for the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.