Obama signs bill guaranteeing active duty military pay in event of shutdown

In this Aug. 27, 2012 photo provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne arrive to turn in their vehicles and equipment as part of the drawdown at the Kandahar Air Field south of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP)

Senate Democrats are vowing to reject House Republicans' last-minute bid to delay ObamaCare by attaching new amendments to a must-pass spending bill.

But the Senate has accepted one Republican idea -- a bill that would pay the military in the event of a shutdown. The Senate easily approved the bill late Monday afternoon and President Obama signed it into law a few hours later, as the government careened toward a shutdown.

The House unanimously passed that bill early Sunday morning. The bill would ensure that active-duty military -- as well as some civilians and Defense contractors -- get paid even if there's a shutdown.

Without such a bill, the military's 1.4 million active-duty personnel would still be expected to be on duty, but could see a delay in pay, if Congress misses a midnight deadline to avert a shutdown.