Trump directs Pentagon to redirect $8B in R&D funds to military pay, bypassing Purpose Statute and congressional reprogramming
On October 11, 2025, President Trump posted on Truth Social directing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to use "all available funds" to pay active-duty military personnel on October 15, amid an ongoing government shutdown. A Pentagon official identified approximately $8 billion in unobligated FY2024 research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) funds as the source. The Purpose Statute (31 U.S.C. § 1301) restricts appropriated funds to their congressionally designated purpose; transferring R&D accounts to cover military salaries requires advance congressional reprogramming approval that the administration did not seek.