US President Donald Trump said the donor, whom he called a “patriot and friend”, wanted to make up any shortfall due to the Democratic shutdown because he loves the military and the country.
At the same time, Democratic Senator from Delaware Chris Coons expressed concern about the anonymous donation. He believes that the use of anonymous contributions to finance the army “calls into question the security of the military and opens up the possibility of influence by foreign states.”
Expert Todd Garrison of the American Enterprise Institute recalled that $130 million is only a small part of the $6.5 billion that the government spends every two weeks on military salaries and benefits.
Previously, the US Senate was unable to pass a bill on payments for active military personnel during the shutdown. President Trump has ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use $8 billion in unused Pentagon research and development funds to partially cover salaries. The shutdown continues, and the question of full funding of the army remains open, the material says.
Context
The shutdown began in the United States on October 1 due to the fact that Congress could not agree on a budget for the new fiscal year. The stumbling block was the disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on health care financing. This is the first US government shutdown in nearly seven years and the third under Donald Trump's presidency.
Approximately 1.4 million federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Federal workers are forced to stand in lines for free food parcels.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the shutdown is costing the country's economy about $15 billion a day in lost revenue.
