- The Washington Times - Sunday, September 29, 2013

They may not agree on anything else, but Republican and Democratic lawmakers are on the same page when it comes to military pay: Neither side wants to be blamed for soldiers not getting paid in the case of a government shutdown.

Sen. Tim Kaine, appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” said the Democrat-controlled Senate likely will approve a bill that passed the Republican-controlled House just hours earlier that calls for no interruption of military paychecks, even in the case of a shutdown.

“In all likelihood we will. We think it’s insufficient — it doesn’t cover [Veterans Affairs] and other important workers — but it is necessary, and I don’t suspect that will be too controversial,” Mr. Kaine, Virginia Democrat, said.

In a rare display of bipartisanship, the House approved the military pay resolution 423-0 as part of a series of post-midnight votes connected to the battle over Obamacare and the looming deadline on Tuesday when the federal government is set to shutdown unless lawmakers can come to an agreement on funding.

• David Eldridge can be reached at deldridge@washingtontimes.com.

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