As the government shutdown entered its fourth week, frustration and uncertainty spread nationwide. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers faced missed paychecks, and essential services began to falter.
Amid the turmoil, President Donald Trump announced that an anonymous “patriot” had donated $130 million to help cover military pay.
The New York Times later identified the donor as Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire from one of America’s wealthiest families, although the authenticity of the information hasn’t been confirmed by either the White House or Mellon himself.
The donation, reportedly funneled through a nonprofit supporting military families, offered some short-term relief, ensuring service members wouldn’t miss paychecks.
However, while Trump called it an extraordinary act of generosity, legal experts questioned whether the Pentagon’s acceptance of the money under its “general gift acceptance authority” could violate the Anti-Deficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from spending funds not approved by Congress.
A representative for Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, expressed concern over the donation’s anonymity.
“Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions of whether our own troops are at risk of literally being bought and paid for by foreign powers,” the spokesman said, as reported by NBC News.
According to CBS News, who reached Anna Massoglia, a campaign finance researcher, for comments on the matter, “Timothy Mellon was a relatively unknown political donor but his contributions have surged in recent years, putting him in the very top ranks of political contributors.”
In a statement, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said, “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”
While generous, the $130 million donation covers only a fraction of the $6.5 billion required every two weeks for military pay and benefits.
Ongoing gridlock in Congress leaves the rest of the funding uncertain.
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