The $130 million that went to pay U.S. troops during the current government shutdown reportedly came from Timothy Mellon, a private billionaire who has quietly given tens of millions to Trump campaigns in the past. Mellon is known for staying out of the public eye.
Trump confirmed the donation on Thursday, calling Mellon both a “friend” and a “patriot.” “He doesn’t really want the recognition,” the president said during a roundtable discussion.
Mellon, who made his fortune in railroads and comes from a well-known banking and political family, has not publicly confirmed the donation. His team, along with the White House and the Pentagon, all declined to comment.
Forbes estimated Mellon’s net worth at about $1 billion last year. He is one of the most prolific donors to Republican causes in the country.
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During the 2024 campaign, Mellon gave $100 million to groups supporting Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. These donations are among the largest single contributions ever disclosed.
The Mellon family has a long history in politics. Timothy Mellon is the grandson of Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, a key figure in early 20th-century finance. Despite his wealth and influence, Timothy Mellon avoids public attention, focusing on his donations and investments.
Mellon’s political views have shifted over the years. In the 1970s, he supported liberal causes like feminism, environmentalism, and Native American advocacy.
More recently, he has donated to right-wing causes. He once compared climate-change scientists to ISIS and gave millions to Children’s Health Defense, Kennedy’s anti-vaccine group. He also made controversial comments in a self-published autobiography, comparing Black people on welfare to slaves accepting “freebies.”
The Pentagon confirmed the donation Friday.
Spokesman Sean Parnell said the funds were used to cover the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits. “We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops,” Parnell said.
Legal experts have raised questions about whether the donation is lawful. The Antideficiency Act bars federal agencies from spending money beyond congressional appropriations or accepting voluntary services for official duties.
David Super, professor of law and economics at Georgetown University, told the Federal News Network, “Whether the government is or is not lawfully paying the troops salaries can’t depend on this gift. It has to depend on whether there is another appropriation available for this cost. They can take the gift and hold it, but they can’t spend it without approval of Congress.”
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington criticized the donation. “The American government should be funded by the American people, not anonymous mega-donor friends of the president,” the group wrote. “This raises all sorts of legal and ethical alarms.”
Even with the donation, the Pentagon still faces financial challenges. The Trump administration requested about $600 billion in military compensation for 2025.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use all available funds to pay troops during the shutdown.
Featured image via X screengrab
