Timothy Mellon recognized donor to pay US troops throughout shutdown: report

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The nameless donor who gave $130 million to the Pentagon to pay troops throughout the federal government shutdown has been recognized as Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a significant monetary backer of President Donald Trump , in keeping with a report.

Trump introduced the donation on Thursday, however declined to disclose the donor's id, solely describing him as a "patriot" and a good friend. The president once more refused to call the individual on Friday whereas speaking to reporters aboard Air Pressure One shortly after departing Washington for Asia, calling the donor "a fantastic American citizen" and a "substantial man."

"He doesn’t need publicity," Trump stated on Friday. "He favor that his title not be talked about, which is fairly uncommon on this planet I come from, and on this planet of politics, you need your title talked about."

However the two individuals accustomed to the matter instructed The New York Occasions that the person is Mellon, a rich banking inheritor and railroad magnate.

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The nameless donor who gave $130 million to the Pentagon to pay troops throughout the federal government shutdown has been recognized as Timothy Mellon. (Scott Olson/Getty Pictures)

It stays unclear how lengthy the donation will cowl the troops' salaries. The Trump administration’s 2025 price range requested for about $600 billion in whole navy compensation, in keeping with the Congressional Finances Workplace.

The $130 million donation would equal about $100 a service member, in keeping with The New York Times .

Mellon, a grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon, is a backer of Trump who gave tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to teams supporting the president’s 2024 marketing campaign. Final yr, he gave $50 million to an excellent PAC supporting Trump, making it one of many largest single contributions ever disclosed, the newspaper famous.

President Donald Trump had declined to disclose the donor's id. (Scott Olson/Getty Pictures)

The billionaire was not a distinguished Republican donor till Trump was first elected however has given tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in recent times into supporting the president and the GOP.

He's additionally a big supporter of Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , who additionally ran for president in 2024, first as a Democrat and later as an unbiased earlier than dropping out to endorse Trump. Mellon donated thousands and thousands to Kennedy’s presidential marketing campaign and has additionally given cash to the secretary's anti-vaccine nonprofit, Kids’s Well being Protection, in keeping with The New York Occasions.

Regardless of his political contributions, Mellon has sought to maintain a low profile.

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The Pentagon stated it accepted the donation beneath the "normal present acceptance authority." (Reuters)

In an autobiography revealed in 2015, Mellon described himself as a former liberal who moved from Connecticut to Wyoming for decrease taxes and fewer individuals.

The Pentagon stated it accepted the donation beneath the "normal present acceptance authority."

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"The donation was made on the situation that it's used to offset the price of service members’ salaries and advantages," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated in an announcement to The New York Occasions.

However the donation could also be a possible violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal companies from spending cash in extra of congressional appropriations or from accepting voluntary companies.