Anonymous $130M Donation Supports US Troops Amid Government Shutdown

The Pentagon confirmed it accepted an anonymous $130 million donation under its general gift acceptance authority to be used to offset service members’ salaries and benefits during the ongoing government shutdown, a contribution President Trump said came from “a friend” he called a patriot. Officials and analysts said the gift would cover only a tiny fraction of the billions needed; the administration already shifted roughly $6.5–8 billion from other accounts to make recent paydays. The donation prompted legal and ethical questions, including whether private funds can legally cover pay during a lapse in appropriations under the Antideficiency Act and whether the Defense Department followed rules requiring ethics reviews for gifts over $10,000 and screening for foreign sources or conflicts. Pentagon spokespeople declined to identify the donor or detail what protocols were followed, leaving open whether Congress must still appropriate the money for salaries or whether using the gift could violate federal restrictions on obligating unappropriated funds. Lawmakers remain deadlocked in the broader shutdown dispute, and while the private contribution is unusual it does not resolve the underlying funding impasse.