As the United States barrels toward a critical deadline, the nation’s capital is embroiled in a pair of overlapping political dramas: the looming threat of missed paychecks for more than 1.3 million military personnel and a heated debate over the nature and legitimacy of a major protest rally scheduled for October 18, 2025, on the National Mall. At the center of both stories stands House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), whose recent statements have ignited passionate responses from both sides of the political aisle and from ordinary Americans watching anxiously as the government shutdown grinds on.
Speaker Johnson has not minced words in assigning blame for the impasse. On Saturday, he took to social media to warn that unless the Senate acts, military families will bear the brunt of Washington’s dysfunction. “HR 5371 (the Continuing Resolution) is the bill to pay our troops,” Johnson wrote on X. “No one in the military or any military family should have their pay blocked on October 15! Since the bill ALREADY PASSED THE HOUSE, a simple yes vote by five more Democrats on Tuesday would allow the military to be paid on Wednesday.” He urged Americans to “call your Democrat Senator and insist they stop hurting the families who already sacrifice so much!”
The stakes are high. If the government remains shut by October 15, over 1.3 million service members could miss their paychecks, a situation made all the more painful by the fact that, as essential personnel, most will be required to continue working without pay. According to reporting by Nexstar Media, federal workers did receive a paycheck on October 10, but that covered only the period ending September 30, just before funding lapsed. The uncertainty has left military families and federal workers on edge, with no clear resolution in sight.
President Trump, weighing in from the sidelines but wielding considerable influence, has echoed Johnson’s accusations and sought to reassure the military. Addressing Navy sailors last Sunday, Trump told them not to worry about back pay, and on October 11 he posted on Truth Social: “Chuck Schumer recently said, ‘Every day gets better’ during their Radical Left Shutdown. I DISAGREE! If nothing is done, because of ‘Leader’ Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.” He went further, asserting, “That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th. We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS. I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown.”
But while Johnson and Trump point fingers at Senate Democrats and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the reality in the Senate is more complicated. The stopgap funding bill—HR 5371, or the Continuing Resolution—has failed seven times to clear the Senate, which requires a 60-vote threshold to advance such legislation. Democrats, largely unified, have demanded health care concessions as part of any deal, making it a steep climb for Republicans to muster the necessary votes. If passed, the CR would fund the government at Biden-era levels until November 21, buying time for a longer-term agreement. But as of Thursday, senators had left Washington, all but guaranteeing the shutdown will stretch into at least the following week.
Amid this standoff, another battle is brewing over the meaning and intent of the “No Kings” rally set for October 18. Organized as a peaceful protest against President Trump and his administration’s agenda, the rally is expected to draw large crowds to the National Mall. Yet Speaker Johnson, appearing on Fox and Friends, described the event in starkly negative terms: “They have a ‘Hate America’ rally that’s scheduled for Oct. 18 on the National Mall. It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and the, you know, the Antifa people, they’re all coming out.” He further suggested that the government would not be able to reopen “until after that rally, because they can’t face the rabid base.”
This characterization has drawn sharp rebukes from the left and from independent observers. The organizers of the “No Kings” protest issued a statement on October 11 pushing back: “Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings. We’ll see everyone on October 18.”
The debate spilled onto cable news, with CNN’s Abby Phillip and her guests dissecting Johnson’s rhetoric. Kara Swisher, host of the “Pivot” podcast, dismissed Johnson’s claims as “ridiculous,” noting, “It’s not called the ‘Hate America’ rally.” Swisher argued that if there is a “rabid base” on the Mall, it was the Trump supporters who participated in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Republican strategist Lance Trover, also on the panel, pointed to protest signs with messages like “impeach, imprison, fascist” and “F-Trump,” but acknowledged the right to protest. Phillip quickly responded, “It’s a protest. It’s an anti-Trump protest, but it is a protest, and we are allowed to do that in these United States of America.” Trover clarified that his concern was not about the right to protest, but about the tenor of the event, saying the attendees are “not exactly cheering on America right now.”
Other Republican leaders have joined Johnson in condemning the rally. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) have both labeled it a “Hate America” rally, while some on the right have accused Democrats of holding up a government funding bill to keep the government shut down until after the protest. Democratic Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), appearing on CNN, dismissed these attacks as a distraction: “Every time this administration and Speaker Johnson start to lose the argument or get panicked, they push the immigration panic button. That’s not getting any traction, so now they’re pressing the Marxist panic button, the pro-Hamas panic button.” Swisher agreed, noting, “It’s just a rally, and it’s OK to do that, and Trump people do it all the time.” Phillip added, “Listen, this is a country where you’re allowed to protest. You’re just not allowed to get violent if you’re doing that.”
For many Americans, the dueling crises—one about paychecks and national security, the other about free speech and the right to dissent—are emblematic of a broader struggle over the direction of the country. The shutdown has tangible consequences for millions, while the fierce debate over the “No Kings” rally reveals deep divisions not just over policy, but over the meaning of patriotism itself.
As October 15 and October 18 approach, families, service members, and activists alike are left waiting—some for a paycheck, others for a chance to make their voices heard. The outcome of these intertwined standoffs will shape not only the immediate future of the government, but the tenor of American democracy in a year already defined by high stakes and high passions.
