Vice President Vance told U.S. Marine Corps members gathered at Camp Pendleton, California, on Saturday that they will be paid despite the government shutdown.

Vance, appearing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and second lady Usha Vance, gave comments at the Marine Corps 250th Anniversary Celebration.

“Today I bring greetings from our Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump, and he wanted me to tell each and every one of you that he is proud of you and that he loves you,” Vance said. “And despite Schumer’s shutdown, he will do everything he can to make sure you get exactly what you deserve.”

To cheers and applause, Vance added that he “just had to get a little political because Democrats in Congress seem to want to keep the government closed, even if that means many of you wouldn’t get your paychecks.”

Vance said he told the president the administration needs to “figure out how to pay these Marines, both for their own sake, but of course … because if we don’t pay our enlisted Marines, every bar in Southern California is going to go out of business.”

Senate Republicans had questions about how Trump will pay for more than a million military personnel and what funding will be provided for them. Trump recently ordered Hegseth to use “all available resources” to ensure troops receive their paychecks earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) scheduled a vote on a military pay bill for next week. The bill, introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), would ensure military members are paid during the shutdown once non-obligatory funds identified by the administration are exhausted.

Democrats steadfastly negotiated an extension of soon-to-expire health care tax credits before agreeing to reopen the government.