Trump Administration Pursues Funding Solutions for Federal Officers Amid Government Shutdown

Mon Oct 20 2025 23:47:31 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As the government shutdown extends into its third week, the Trump administration is exploring alternative funding methods to ensure federal law enforcement officers continue receiving pay.

The Trump administration is actively seeking ways to ensure that federal law enforcement officers are compensated during the ongoing government shutdown, which has now extended beyond three weeks. With a stalemate between Democrats and Republicans, alternative funding avenues are being explored for essential programs, including compensation for federal officers who are still required to report for duty without pay. Approximately 750,000 federal employees have already faced furloughs, and ongoing negotiations may affect numerous governmental services and personnel.

The Trump administration is looking for alternative ways to ensure federal law enforcement officers are paid as the government shutdown enters its third week.

With Democrats and Republicans locked in a stalemate over the shutdown, officials in government are exploring alternative ways of paying for some key programmes, including a food programme for women and children.

Members of the US military, meanwhile, will be paid using funds previously allocated to the Pentagon following an order from President Donald Trump.

Thousands of federal workers have already been laid off, with Vice-President JD Vance warning of 'painful' additional cuts should the shutdown continue.

It is unclear how much money would be necessary to ensure that all federal law enforcement officers are paid. In response to a query from the BBC, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget - or OMB - confirmed that it is examining alternative ways to ensure those payments continue.

Like military personnel, federal law enforcement officers are considered 'essential' and are still expected to report for duty, even without pay. They include officers from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Separately, on Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had directed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to use 'all available funds' to get members of the military paid on 15 October, when they would have their pay withheld.

While Trump provided no further details on where that money would be drawn from, an OMB spokesperson told the BBC that the funds would come from an amount previously allocated for defence research and development that is available for two years.

Approximately 750,000 federal employees - about 40% of the total workforce - have so far been furloughed or sent home without pay.

More than 6.5m people across the country benefit from the WIC programme, which provides food to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum, as well as infants and children up to five years of age. The National WIC Association, however, said in a statement that the measure 'is not a permanent solution' and that a prolonged shutdown could put millions of recipients at risk.

Congressional Democrats are reportedly planning to introduce a bill that would ensure the programme remains fully funded, while the Senate is set to vote on new funding measures amidst these ongoing challenges.