--- title: "Troops will still get paid as Congress avoids government shutdown" description: "Congress approved funding for the government at the last minute, averting a government shutdown and preserving military pay." date: "2023-09-30" modified: "2023-09-30" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/troops-pay-congress-government-shutdown-averted/" categories: - "News" --- # Troops will still get paid as Congress avoids government shutdown ![]() *Capitol Reflection: U.S. Capitol building on a cool March evening following shift change. (Photograph: Krystina George)\* The U.S. Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown today, voting in the last hours of the day to pass a new spending bill. The bill will fund the government for another 45 days, and ensures that, among other things, military service members will be paid. The deal came at the last minute after major fights in the House of Representatives. Ultimately the House approved the bill 335-91 while the U.S. Senate passed it 88-9. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden to sign. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** If lawmakers had failed to reach an agreement in time, it would have meant that service members would have had to stay on active duty without pay. Parts of military life, such as barracks repairs or some elective medical procedures could have been put on hold in part due to how contractors are paid. Similarly, guards and reservists would have had drills canceled. Thousands of civilians working for the Department of Defense would have been furloughed, which the Pentagon said would have impacted the pace of its operations. The bill includes $16 billion for disaster relief efforts — coming after the fires in Hawaii and flooding in New York City among other disasters — but does not include any additional funds for Ukraine. Both chambers of Congress plan on taking up a supplemental funding bill that would include aid to Ukraine. The funding expires on Nov. 17, when a similar fight over the budget can be expected. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - [**101st and 82nd Airborne Division**]() **soldiers deploying to Eastern Europe** - **Have you seen me? All the best** [**‘Missing F-35’ memes**]() - **Marine Corps searching for F-35 after** [**pilot ejects**]() **in South Carolina** - **Senate** [**bypasses Tuberville**]() **on Joint Chief nominations for Brown, George** - **Search for missing Marine F-35B** [**finds debris field**]() ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()