Capitol Police pay turns contentious as shutdown drags on

As the government shutdown inflicts pain on federal workers, Republicans have promised to ease the financial blow for men and women in uniform.

“Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait,” the Office of Management and Budget posted on X this week, drawing a contrast with its plans for mass layoffs at other departments.

FBI Director Kash Patel, for example, pledged that his “special agents will keep getting paid,” following a similar announcement last week about the military.

But as the Trump administration aims to reshuffle money to cut paychecks for some — and faces questions about the legality of such moves — things remain uncertain for law enforcement on Capitol Hill.

Capitol Police officers have been showing up to work without pay in an increasingly