The identity of the anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the Trump administration to pay troops amid the ongoing government shutdown has been revealed to be reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon, a donation that, according to a report from The New York Times, would likely violate federal law.
Mellon has made significant contributions over the years to Trump’s campaigns, donating $50 million last year to Trump’s super PAC, just one day after the president was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The previous year, Mellon donated $50 million between both Trump and then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who since went on to be tapped by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Were the federal government to actually use the $130 million donation to pay service members, however, it may constitute a violation of the Antideficiency Act, the Times reported, a law that prohibits federal government agencies from spending funds in excess of appropriations from Congress.
The Times also noted that the math of the situation – the donation amount compared to how many active service members there are – didn’t line up.
“It remains unclear how far the donation would go toward covering the salaries of the more than 1.3 million troops who make up the active-duty military,” wrote Times reporter Tyler Pager.
“According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Trump administration’s 2025 budget requests about $600 billion in total military compensation. A $130 million donation would equal about $100 a service member.”
The identity of the donor, who President Donald Trump refused to name, outside of calling them a “patriot” and a “substantial man,” was revealed by the Times in a report Saturday, who spoke to two insiders on the condition of anonymity. Trump first announced the $130 million donation on Thursday, but has since refused to confirm the donor’s identity.