Speaker Mike Johnson says the Trump administration “has every right” to move congressionally-mandated funds around to pay the nation’s troops.

“If the Democrats want to go to court and challenge troops being paid, bring it,” Johnson said at a Capitol press conference.

Moving the funds removes a major pressure point that might have encouraged negotiations over the shutdown. Members of the military were projected to miss their first paycheck on Wednesday.

The Trump administration is exercising vast leeway both to fire workers — drawing complaints from fellow Republicans and lawsuits from employee unions — and to determine who is paid. Military troops and federal law enforcement agents don’t necessarily have to go without pay thanks to other funding sources as well as the billions made ava

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