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NATO Ally Offers to Cover U.S. Troops’ Paychecks as Shutdown Drags On

As the U.S. government enters the fourth week of a shutdown, the NATO ally is stepping in to help federal employees.

Germany announced that it would cover the salaries of 11,000 U.S. troops stationed in the country.

The country’s finance ministry told AFP on Wednesday that the federal government, along with the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, has initiated a deal to ensure local troops are paid, as it remains unclear whether U.S. payments will be made during the shutdown.

“The federal government will initiate an unscheduled expenditure to ensure that October salaries are paid on time,” the spokeswoman said.

The NATO ally hosts more U.S. troops than any other European country, with approximately 35,000 service members stationed there. Military personnel are considered “essential” during a shutdown, which means they must continue to work without pay.

On Oct. 15, President Donald Trump signed an order directing the Department of Defense to pay military personnel during the federal government shutdown, using “any funds appropriated by the Congress that remain available for expenditure in Fiscal Year 2026.” However, both Republicans and Democrats have expressed skepticism about the legality of Trump’s order.

In previous government shutdowns, it was Congress, which holds the power of the purse, that passed legislation to ensure the military was paid. According to lawmakers, Trump directed his administration to use $6.5 billion from a pot of approximately $10 billion in leftover military research and development funding to cover the troops’ last paychecks.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Trump’s order is a “temporary fix,” and it remains unclear whether the military will receive payment in the next round of paychecks on Oct. 31.

The German trade union Verdi expressed concern on Tuesday that the Trump administration might halt future paychecks, which would violate German law. The federal government’s contribution to cover the payroll would guarantee salaries and prevent any issues.

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The finance ministry spokeswoman said that the contribution is “a sign of solidarity with the U.S. armed forces stationed in Germany and their civilian employees,” adding that the German government expects to be reimbursed for the payroll costs by the U.S.

The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon for comment.

On Wednesday, the government entered the 22nd day of the shutdown, making it the second-longest in U.S. history. The longest federal government shutdown occurred in 2018, during President Trump’s first term, and lasted 35 days.

The Senate is expected to vote for the 12th time on a House-passed funding bill to reopen the government, but Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over health care provisions included in the bill.

According to the latest estimates from the Bipartisan Policy Center, more than 700,000 federal employees have been furloughed, and a roughly equal number continue working without pay.

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