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Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire who has donated millions of dollars to support past trump campaignHe is reportedly the anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the government to help pay troops During the ongoing government shutdown,
Mellon, a railroad businessman and heir to a prominent banking and political family, has not publicly claimed any role. Donation,
President Trump revealed The anonymous donation on Thursday was reported to have come from a “friend” and “patriot.”
“He doesn’t really want recognition,” Trump Said In a round table programme.
Independent Have contacted a phone number and email associated with Melon In the public record for comment.
The White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.
Independent The Treasury Department has been contacted for comment.
Mellon, Joe Forbes estimated His net worth last year was close to $1 billion, making him one of the country’s most prolific donors to Republican causes.
During the 2024 campaign he Donated 100 million dollars For groups supporting the presidential campaigns of Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Mellon’s donation during the election was one of the largest single contributions ever reported.
Mellon, the grandson of early 20th-century Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, lives primarily in Wyoming and, despite his prolific political spending, has largely stayed out of the public spotlight.
Little is known about what is motivating the businessman’s donation spree. During the 1970s, he Allegedly Liberally supports liberal issues, including feminism, environmentalism, and Native American advocacy, although her politics have leaned to the right in recent years. He once compared climate-change scientists to the terrorist group ISIS the new York Timesand donated millions to Kennedy’s anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense.
He has attracted attention for controversies before notes He reportedly compared black people participating in social assistance programs to slaves accepting “free gifts” in a self-published autobiography.
The Pentagon confirmed the anonymous donation on Friday, saying it accepted the funds under its “general gift acceptance authority.”
“This donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” said Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman. “We are grateful for this donor’s support after Democrats chose to withhold pay from troops.”
Observers expressed concern that the donation may not be legal.
This could violate the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending more money than their congressional appropriations or accepting voluntary services.
“Whether the government is paying troops legally or not cannot depend on this gift,” said David Super, a professor of law and economics at Georgetown University Law Center. told Federal News Network. “It should depend on whether there is any other appropriation available for this cost, and I don’t think there is. And if there isn’t, they can take the gift and keep it, but they can’t spend it without the approval of Congress.”
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said, “It should go without saying, but the American government should be funded by the American people, not by the president’s anonymous mega-donor friends.” wrote In a statement on
“Things shouldn’t work this way in a democracy – it raises all kinds of legal and ethical concerns,” the group said.
Mellon’s reported donation, while unusual, will do nothing to change the financial challenges facing the Pentagon. The Trump administration has requested approximately $600 billion in total military compensation as part of its 2025 budget.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered Using Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “All available funds” To ensure that soldiers are compensated during the ongoing government shutdown.
Last week, the administration used $8 billion of money originally meant for research and development to create payroll.