President Trump said the government shutdown will not hinder the pay raises he is seeking for every member of the U.S. military.
Celebrating the Navy’s 250th anniversary, Mr. Trump blamed the shutdown on Democrats, while assuring the crowd he plans to “get our service members every last penny” of their federal funding, including the pay raises he has promised to be budgeted next year.
“Do not worry about it. It’s all coming,” Mr. Trump said in Norfolk, Virginia. “I’m supporting the across-the-board pay raises for every sailor and servicemember of the United States armed forces.”
The fight over spending has left Washington in a standstill. Partisan finger-pointing has dominated the first five days of the showdown.
Mr. Trump and Republicans have pressed Democrats to support a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government and keep it fully open through mid-November.
Democrats are demanding that Republicans support extending the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare, which are set to expire at the end of the year. They are also seeking to reverse the cuts to future Medicaid spending included in the “Big Beautiful” bill.
Without changes, Democrats warn, millions will lose their health coverage.
In Norfolk, Mr. Trump reiterated his claim that Democrats want to give health insurance to illegal immigrants.
“We have to take care of this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrats,” he said. “They want to give all of our money to illegal aliens that pour into the country.”
“You know, I have a bigger heart than they do, but the problem is, when you do that, they come in by the millions,” he said of illegal immigrants.
Mr. Trump heaped praise on the Navy, saying he was there to “celebrate 250 years of strength, tenacity, and unwavering courage by the greatest fighting force.”
“In every era of conflict, the Navy has never failed to hunt, kill, and win,” he said.