Billionaire heir Timothy Mellon, a longtime Trump supporter, has been identified as the anonymous donor who gave $130 million to help fund U.S. military salaries during the ongoing government shutdown, The New York Times reported Saturday. President Donald Trump had previously described the donor as a “great patriot” and “a friend of mine.”
The donation, equivalent to about $100 per service member, falls far short of the $6.4 billion needed for biweekly troop pay. Legal experts say the gift may violate the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending unappropriated funds. Ethics specialists also warned that accepting private money for public payroll sets a dangerous precedent for accountability and foreign influence.
Mellon, a reclusive descendant of the Gilded Age banking family and former railroad executive, has an estimated net worth near $1 billion. He previously donated $50 million to a Trump super PAC in 2024.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said the revelation raises national security concerns: “Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions of whether our own troops are at risk of being bought and paid for.”
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