The Trump administration is looking for ways to pay federal officers during the shutdown

The Trump administration is looking for alternative ways to ensure federal law enforcement employees are paid as the government shutdown enters its third week.

With Democrats and Republicans deadlocked over the shutdown, government officials are exploring alternative ways to pay for some key programs, including the Food for Women and Children Program.

Meanwhile, US military personnel will be paid using funds previously allocated to the Pentagon based on an order from President Donald Trump.

Thousands of federal workers have already been laid off, with Vice President J.D. Vance warning of more “painful” cuts if the shutdown continues.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted for the eighth time to fund the government, but failed to advance the Republican interim budget by a vote of 49-45.

It is unclear how much money would be needed to ensure all federal law enforcement employees are paid.

In response to a query from the BBC, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget – or OMB – confirmed that it is examining alternative ways to ensure these payments continue.

Like military personnel, federal law enforcement officers are considered “essential” and are still expected to report for duty, even without pay.

They include officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), US Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Separately, Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social that he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to pay military personnel on October 15, when their pay will be withheld.

While Trump did not provide further details about where the money would be drawn from, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget told the BBC that the money would come from a previously allocated amount for defense research and development that is available for two years.

So far, nearly 750,000 federal employees — about 40% of the total workforce — have been furloughed or sent home without pay.

The administration has begun laying off at least seven agencies, totaling about 4,000 workers so far.

As the two US political parties continue to blame each other for the shutdown, the Trump administration said it is looking for new ways to ensure some essential services continue.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that her department had found an “innovative” way to ensure Coast Guard members would continue to be paid, though she did not provide further details.

Administration officials also said that tariff revenues would be used to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.

More than 6.5 million people across the country benefit from the programme, which provides food to pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum women, as well as infants and children up to the age of five.

However, the National Association of WIC said in a statement that the measure is “not a permanent solution” and that a prolonged closure could put millions of beneficiaries at risk.

Democrats in Congress are said to be planning to introduce a bill that would ensure the program remains fully funded, with Virginia Democratic Rep. Robert Scott telling The Guardian that it should be “immune to the vagaries of the annual budget process.”