THE man behind the $130 million donation to the Pentagon to pay the military during the ongoing federal shutdown has been identified.
Billionaire Timothy Mellon was named as the deep-pocketed private donor who President Donald Trump described earlier in the week as “a friend”.
The Trump ally was named by two sources close to the anonymous donation in a report by The New York Times.
The President confirmed the generous donation on Thursday night without naming the person behind it.
Trump simply called them a “patriot” and friend who “loves the military and loves the country”.
Mellon, who was identified by two anonymous sources, told the President he “doesn’t want publicity”.
Trump called him “a great American citizen” and a “substantial man” saying the anonymity behind the donation is “pretty unusual in the world I come from…you want your name mentioned”.
The donation comes as the federal government shutdown is set to enter its fourth week.
They already risked missing payments due to them on October 15, hitting 1.3 million service members as well as hundreds of thousands of active National Guard members and civilians who work for the Defense Department.
Due to the essential nature of their jobs for national security, they continue to work despite the shutdown.
On October 15, Trump allowed the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use funds to ensure troops were paid – this money largely came from the Pentagon‘s research and development budget.
In a statement, The Pentagon confirmed that it had accepted the anonymous donation under the “general gift acceptance authority”.
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” the Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said.
“We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”
However, it is unclear if the Pentagon can spend the funds as the Anti-deficiency Act blocks the use of donated cash not appropriated by Congress during a government shutdown.
Other rules from the Department of Defense dictate that donations over $10,000 that benefit military members have to be reviewed to ensure the donor “does not have interested that may be affected substantially” by the gift.
On Thursday, the Senate blocked a move to pay active troops and members of the military, 54 to 45, as service members are unsure of if they will get their next paycheck due on October 30.
Democrats say they blocked the measure as it excluded other furloughed workers.
Even if Mellon’s donation is used by the Pentagon, it is unlikely to cover much of the shortfall caused by the shutdown.
The Congressional Budget Office states that Trump’s 2025 military budget calls for $600 billion in military compensation.
Mellon’s donation divided by the 1.3 million active-duty troops equates to just $100 per service member.
Mellon is the grandson of former US Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon who served from 1921 to 1932 and is heir to the Mellon banking fortune.
As of June last year, his estimated net worth was reported to be $14.1 billion, according to Forbes.
The 83-year-old is somewhat of a recluse, living in Wyoming, and has donated huge sums to the Republican Party since Trump emerged on the scene by backing the President’s various campaigns.
Just last year, he made one of the largest single disclosed contributions to a super PAC by donating $50 million to Make America Great Again.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15397154/timothy-mellon-net-worth-donald-trump-military-pentagon/
