On Day 15 of the Appropriations Lapse, Trump Signs Memorandum Directing Available Funds Be Used for Military Pay
On October 15, 2025, at the White House in Washington, President Donald Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 8 (NSPM-8), directing the Secretary of War, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use funds appropriated by Congress that remain available for expenditure in Fiscal Year 2026 to pay military pay and allowances on schedule for active duty personnel and for Reserve component personnel who performed active service during the relevant pay period. The lapse in annual appropriations entered its fifteenth day that day.
The memorandum says congressional leaders had indicated that political negotiations had stalemated and that passage of the bipartisan legislation needed to end the lapse was unlikely before active duty personnel were scheduled to receive their next paychecks on October 15, and that a missed paycheck would present a serious and unacceptable threat to military readiness and the ability of the Armed Forces to protect and defend the nation.
Signing as Commander in Chief under Article 2 of the Constitution, Trump directed that the funds used be those the Secretary of War determines are provided for purposes that have a reasonable, logical relationship to the pay and allowances of military personnel, consistent with applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 1301(a). The memorandum also says that, at the conclusion of the lapse, every effort should be made, as authorized by law, to adjust applicable funding accounts within the Department of War to ensure operations continue consistent with planned expenditures before the lapse.
The memorandum was one of the presidential documents issued during the 2025 federal government shutdown; it addresses military pay only and does not restore appropriations for other federal agencies. (Source: The White House)
Source: The White House
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：五角大楼航拍（资料图，美国战争部总部，位于弗吉尼亚州 Arlington）。美国海军照片，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Aerial view of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia (file photo), headquarters of the U.S. Department of War. U.S. Navy photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
