ALBAWABA - The Pentagon said it would use a $130 million gift from an unknown supporter of President Donald Trump to pay military salaries while the U.S. government is still closed. This has caused political debate and raised concerns about transparency.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the Defense Department accepted the money "under the department's general gift acceptance authority." This confirmed that the money was specifically meant "to cover service members' pay and benefits." Parnell also said that the donation came with the clear condition that it only be used for this purpose.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said that "a wealthy private-sector friend" had made the donation to keep military families from being hurt by delayed payments because of the budget impasse. He didn't say who the donor was, only that he was "a close ally."
Political Backlash and Moral Issues
Democrats quickly criticized the announcement. Senator Chris Coons, who is in charge of the Senate Defense Budget Committee, said, "Allowing anonymous donations to fund the U.S. military sets a dangerous precedent." Coons asked if these kinds of donations could "open the door for foreign actors or private interests to buy influence over America's armed forces."
Budget analysts also said that the donation wouldn't have much of an effect in the real world. Todd Harrison, a defense expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said that $130 million would "cover about one-third of a single day's pay for the U.S. military." He also said that military payroll for the first half of October alone was $6.5 billion.
Shutdown Effects Get Worse
Since midnight on September 30, 2025, the U.S. federal government has been shut down because Congress couldn't agree on a temporary spending bill to get the new fiscal year off to a good start. It is the first time the government has shut down since 2018–2019.
When there is no approved annual or temporary budget, federal law says that government agencies can't spend money, which means they have to stop working and lay off employees. The shutdown has had an impact on many areas, and important workers, like members of the military, are unsure about their paychecks.
Critics say that the donation only temporarily relieves pressure on the Pentagon and shows how broken Washington's budget process is. They also raise questions about the growing role of private money in public institutions.
