Democratic lawmakers are divided on President Donald Trump’s decision to tap unspent defense funds to ensure troops do not miss a paycheck during the shutdown.
Though some Democrats railed against Trump’s move to pay military service members by using previously appropriated funding, several congressional Democrats said the president’s decision was welcome news. Nearly every Democrat interviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation has voted against a bipartisan funding measure that would have averted a lapse in government funding — and troop pay.
“First and foremost, we need to be paying the military,” Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Democrats’ lead House appropriator, told the DCNF. “But he is going about it, as in so many areas, just illegally moving money around.”
“They are a lawless administration — starting in January — with illegally taking funds,” DeLauro continued. “They continue to do that. That needs to stop. And that’s, you know, part of what this debate is about.”
Several Senate Democrats, who have repeatedly voted against reopening the government, echoed DeLauro’s comments on Wednesday.
“It becomes one of a long list of what many people consider to be illegal activities,” Democratic Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper told the DCNF. “My expectation is it will not be pursued in court, but I completely feel that it’s another illegal activity.”
“There are questions about whether or not that can be done. We all want to pay our troops. The best way to do that is to reopen the government,” Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen told the DCNF after voting against legislation to end the shutdown on Wednesday afternoon.
The funding lapse reached its 15th day on Wednesday and continues with no resolution in sight.
U.S. service members were expected to go without pay for the first time in American history if the president had not intervened. The Department of War will transfer $8 billion in congressionally-appropriated funding intended for research and development to cover troops’ paychecks during the next pay period, according to multiple reports.
Republicans have widely praised the president’s move to reshuffle unused Pentagon funding to spare troops from missing a paycheck.
“I don’t know exactly how the President is doing it, but I’m glad that our military is being paid and we can sort out the process later,” Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told the DCNF.
“If the Congress isn’t doing their job, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him wading in to do it, and I applaud him for doing it,” Republican Idaho Sen. Jim Risch said. “The troops need to be paid.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Democrats “despicable and heartless” on Wednesday for labeling the president’s move to pay the troops illegal.
However, a considerable number of Democrats approved of the president’s decision to fund troop pay during the prolonged shutdown.
“I’m okay with it,” Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told the DCNF. “I do want to see you know what is not going to be done by using this pot of money that he used for troops pay. But again, there’s reconciliation money that can be used for this. So I’m okay with it.”
“Frankly, the House is on a paid vacation, and so the prospect of moving the legislation there seems dim,” Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal told the DCNF. “And in the meantime, I’ll support the president using, in effect, his emergency powers.”
Speaker Mike Johnson has consistently defended his move to keep the House of session during the shutdown, arguing lawmakers did their job by passing a clean bipartisan funding measure in September.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the majority of his caucus rejected the House-passed bill for the ninth time on Wednesday afternoon.
Other Democrats who voiced support for paying the troops during the shutdown did not mention Trump by name. They also did not comment about whether they thought the president’s decision to tap unspent funds to cover military pay was in his authority.
‘“We all want our troops paid,” Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s spending choices, told the DCNF.
“I want to make sure that our courageous soldiers are protected when they’re in harm’s way,” Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said.
Andi Shae Napier and Caden Olson contributed to this report.
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