Billionaire investor Timothy Mellon, heir to the prominent American banking dynasty, is the wealthy donor who contributed $130 million to cover the pay of U.S. service members during the government shutdown. The reclusive donor was none other than Mellon, the New York Times revealed on Saturday.
Earlier in the week, President Trump said that “a friend” who deeply “loves the military and the country” had quietly stepped in to provide the money, though he chose to remain anonymous. Trump mentioned the generous donation while speaking to reporters en route to Asia on Friday, noting that the donor’s wish to stay anonymous was “pretty unusual in the world I come from.”
Helping Trump Silently
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Trump went on to praise the contributor as a “great gentleman” and a “true patriot.” The White House chose not to comment on the matter and directed all inquiries to the Department of War and the Treasury Department.
Mellon, 83, is the grandson of renowned industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Mellon. The Mellon family’s wealth is estimated at around $14 billion, according to Forbes.
Just one day after Donald Trump’s 2024 fraud conviction in New York, Mellon made headlines by donating an eye-popping $50 million to the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again.
Now living a quiet life in Wyoming, Mellon has largely stayed out of the public eye. His grandfather, Andrew Mellon, served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary from 1921 to 1932, building a massive fortune before the Great Depression and later donating much of it to create the National Gallery of Art and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Star in His Own Right
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The Pentagon has accepted Mellon’s generous donation, but there’s a catch — it may not actually be able to spend the money. Under the Antideficiency Act, federal agencies are prohibited from using funds that haven’t been approved by Congress during a government shutdown.
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
On Thursday, the Senate voted 54–45 against a proposal that would have ensured active-duty military members continued to receive their pay.
Earlier this month, Trump had pushed to guarantee that troops were paid throughout the ongoing federal shutdown, but his effort ultimately fell short.
“I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site.
The Pentagon said the money came from leftover research and development funds. However, the decision has sparked debate, with critics questioning whether using those funds might have bypassed Congress’s constitutional power to control how federal money is spent.
