Tran Leads Fight to Protect Troops’ Pay Amid GOP Shutdown

Tran, alongside Congressman Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), sent a letter to Speaker Johnson calling on him to bring House Republicans back to work in Washington to pass legislation guaranteeing pay for U.S. troops by the October 15 deadline.

As Californians grapple with skyrocketing health care costs, House  Republicans are refusing to negotiate a bipartisan deal to keep the government open – putting over 225,000 active duty and reserve personnel in California at risk of missing paychecks.

D.C. Republicans know they are losing this fight. Just yesterday, a Republican military mom pleaded directly with Speaker Johnson: “I’m begging you to pass this legislation…As a Republican, I’m very disappointed in my party, and I’m very disappointed in you, because you do have the power to call the House back.”

“Our troops put their lives on the line for our freedom. They have our backs; Congress needs to have theirs. I’m proud to fight for our troops to get the pay that they have earned. It’s not just the right thing to do — it’s essential for the safety of our country.” – Rep. Tran

Read more on Tran’s leadership:

• POLITICO obtained a draft of the letter, which was organized by Democratic Reps. Derek Tran of California and Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico…“The threats from our adversaries do not stop because the federal government shuts down…We have an obligation to take care of our service members and asking them to stand guard without pay is wrong.”

• …Roughly 1.3 million active duty service members — in addition to tens of thousands of deployed or full-time National Guard members and Coast Guard personnel — will miss their next scheduled paycheck should nothing happen.
• “If Congress does not act by October 15th, nearly three million military families will miss their next paycheck,” [Tran and Vasquez] write in the letter…“That’s unacceptable — our military families and troops deserve better.”

• “As a junior enlisted in the military, every dollar I was paid made a huge difference,” Tran told Semafor. “So my heart goes out to so many of the family members that are living in anxiety.”

• With the shutdown in its eighth day, Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that he does not plan to allow the House to vote on a standalone bill to pay military personnel….“There’s no excuse for inaction, because when it comes to paying our troops, there is no room for partisan politics,” reads a letter spearheaded by Reps. Derek Tran and Gabe Vasquez and signed by 75 other House Democrats.

• “As an army veteran, I know what it means to miss a paycheck when you’ve got a family counting on you. Because Washington Republicans refuse to do their jobs, three million military families will be put in jeopardy. Our troops never stop serving this country,  it’s time Congress did the same.” – Rep. Tran 

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