As Republican leaders in Congress scramble to avoid a federal government shutdown by the end of the week, President Donald Trump on Thursday tried to blame Democrats for a potential shutdown and claim that a shutdown would have the gravest effect on the U.S. military.
However, Trump’s declaration as he entered the Pentagon Thursday morning that “the worst thing” that happens during a shutdown “is what happens to our military” is an exaggeration.
“The group that loses big would be the military, and we’re never letting our military lose at any point. We’re going to fund our military,” Trump said.
A government shutdown will be devastating to our military…something the Dems care very little about!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
It’s true that a federal government shutdown could hurt employees of the federal government, including those serving in the military and working in the Pentagon. A shutdown could delay paychecks for those deemed essential and could jeopardize pay for workers told not to work while the federal government is closed.
However, much of the Defense Department’s work is prioritized over that of other agencies in the event of a shutdown. Active duty troops will not leave their posts, and other key Pentagon employees will continue to work. Some civilian workers at the Defense Department would likely have to stop working temporarily, but so will employees in other federal government departments.
Truly, the only federal workers Republicans think matter are members of the military. It’s the only part of the government they think is in any way important, the only organizations that aren’t evil, foul little leeches.
It’s repulsive, and it’s been true for decades.
Fuck the GOP and fuck Donald Trump, a little more than usual today.
Nothing that comes out of his mouth is true.
Too bad they can’t be bothered to take care of folks after they leave the military
Wait, so you’re saying that the current President of the United States is lying about something as serious as military readiness? That he’s using the military as a political football and engaging in blatantly dishonest scare tactics? No, no, no, I simply cannot believe such a thing! It’s unthinkable!
Oh, sorry…for a moment there I forgot the past year. Nevermind.
Trumps right how can we expect the military to function on a budget of only 700 billion?