Trump directs Pentagon to ‘use all available funds’ to pay troops during shutdown
President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to “use all available funds” to ensure that active-duty military personnel are paid during the government shutdown. The move comes as the shutdown, now in its third week, continues due to a standoff between the Trump administration and Congress over funding for a border wall.
The directive was issued by the White House on December 26, 2018, and it aims to alleviate the financial burden on the more than 1.3 million active-duty service members who could potentially go unpaid if the shutdown persists.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan stated that the Pentagon is exploring all options to provide for the military during the funding lapse. Shanahan further emphasized that the Department of Defense will seek to minimize the disruptions and financial pain faced by the service members and their families.
The Trump administration’s decision to prioritize military pay during the shutdown has received bipartisan support, with lawmakers from both parties expressing their commitment to ensuring that troops are compensated for their service.
While the move addresses a pressing concern for service members, it does not resolve the broader issues that have led to the government shutdown. The standoff over funding for a border wall remains unresolved, with both sides showing little sign of willingness to compromise.
The directive to pay military personnel despite the government shutdown underscores the administration’s prioritization of national security and the well-being of service members. However, it also highlights the ongoing political impasse that has resulted in the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Sources Analysis
White House – The White House is directly involved and has a vested interest in maintaining public support for the administration’s actions.
Pentagon – The Pentagon is directly involved in implementing the directive and ensuring the financial stability of military personnel.
Fact Check
Fact 1 – Verified fact: The directive to use all available funds to pay troops during the shutdown was issued by President Trump on December 26, 2018.
Fact 2 – Verified fact: Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan confirmed the Pentagon’s commitment to ensuring military personnel are paid during the funding lapse.
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Model:
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Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Trump directs Pentagon to ‘use all available funds’ to pay troops during shutdown”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.