US military will use R&D money to pay troops if shutdown persists

The Trump administration said on Saturday it would pay troops during the federal government shutdown by tapping unused funds that had been set aside for research and development. "I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th," President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Trump did not identify funding sources or the total amount that would be used for troop salaries, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment. But a Pentagon official said that about $8 billion originally slated for research, development, testing and evaluation would be used to pay members of...