Billionaire Timothy Mellon Donates $130 Million to Pay Troops During Shutdown
Reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon donated $130 million to the Pentagon to help pay military salaries during the Trump administration’s government shutdown. The donation, accepted under the Pentagon’s gift authority, raises serious legal concerns about violating the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits private funding of federal operations and bypassing congressional appropriations authority. Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune and a major Trump donor ($125 million to MAGA PAC), effectively created a privatized government funding mechanism that undermines constitutional separation of powers. Legal experts warn this enables oligarchic control over essential government operations, with the donation working out to only $100 per service member while costs to pay all 1.3 million troops reach $6.4 billion bi-weekly.
Key Actors
Sources (3)
- Reclusive megadonor Timothy Mellon offered to help pay U.S. troops during the shutdown - CBS News (2025-10-25) [Tier 1]
- Timothy Mellon is Trump's $130 million mystery military donor - CNBC (2025-10-25) [Tier 2]
- What to know about Timothy Mellon, who reportedly donated $130M to pay troops amid shutdown - The Hill (2025-10-25) [Tier 2]
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