Mystery pays US military $130 million to pay troops during pro-Trump shutdown

An anonymous donor is giving $130m (£100m) to the Pentagon to help pay for US troops during the government shutdown, raising ethics concerns.

US defense officials confirmed the gift, which President Donald Trump said would cover a shortfall in payments to the nation’s 1.32m service members, but declined to identify the donor.

Trump said on Saturday that “he is a big supporter of mine” and gave some indication that he is an American citizen.

The government shut down three weeks ago after MPs failed to approve a funding deal. The Trump administration moved $8 billion from military research last week to pay troops, but it’s unclear what will happen on the next payday at the end of the month.

Now in its 25th day, the shutdown is poised to become the longest shutdown in US history.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters Friday that the donation “was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” allowing the money under the department’s “general gift acceptance authority.”

Trump previewed the donation on Thursday, declining to identify the donor, saying “he doesn’t really want to be identified.”

Before leaving for a trip to Asia on Saturday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the donor was “a great gentleman”, a “conservator”, a “patriot” and a “wonderful man” who “doesn’t want the limelight”.

“He prefers not to be named, which is very unusual in the world I come from,” Trump said. “In the world of politics you want your name mentioned.”

“He put up $130 million to make sure the military got paid — that’s a lot of money — and he’s a big supporter of mine,” he added.

Funding amounts to about $100 per service member.

While the White House was able to revise defense funding to pay troops last week, it remains to be seen what will happen on the military’s next payday on October 31. Congress has been unable to pass a bill that would have paid the military during the shutdown.

Most government employees have been furloughed or, in some cases, asked to work without pay while the shutdown continues.

According to Department of Defense regulations, donations over $10,000 must be reviewed by ethics officers “to determine whether the donor is involved in any claims, procurement actions, litigation or other specific matters related to the Department that should be considered before accepting the gift.”

Donations from non-US citizens require additional scrutiny.

Although unusual, the Pentagon sometimes accepts gifts from donors, but they must usually be given to fund specific projects, such as schools, hospitals, libraries, museums, or cemeteries.

Critics questioned why the US military would accept anonymous funding.

Delaware Senator Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said, “Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions about whether our own military is at risk of being virtually bought out by foreign powers.”