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18m ago

Trump Pledges Military Pay Raises at Navy 250 Celebration as Shutdown Drags On

The president told sailors they would receive every last penny despite a Pentagon warning that pay could lapse without new funding.

The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier sails in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norfolk, Va., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
First Lady Melania Trump and U.S. President Donald Trump disembark from Air Force One after landing at Naval Station Norfolk before they visit the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier on October 5, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia. | (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
United States President Donald J Trump delivers remarks to a crowd at an America250 rally in Des Moines, Iowa, United States on July 3, 2025. Photo by Kyle Mazza / UNF News via CNP/ABACAPRESS.COM
Crew members stand on the flight deck aboard the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norfolk, Va., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Overview

  • The Salute to the Fleet at Naval Station Norfolk included visits to the USS George H.W. Bush, remarks aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, and live-fire demonstrations with flyovers.
  • First lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan attended, and Trump handed out challenge coins to sailors.
  • Trump blamed Democrats for the funding lapse, backed across-the-board raises for all service members, and reiterated plans for expanded military spending and shipbuilding.
  • The shutdown has left troops working without pay after September 30 under a Defense Department memo, though past shutdowns have ended with back pay.
  • CNN reported the event unfolded as the administration’s domestic use of military forces draws scrutiny, including a judge’s temporary block on a Portland deployment and Trump’s order redirecting California National Guard units to Oregon.