Trump Timothy Mellon military donor government shutdown

A mystery donor whose $130 million is meant to pay U.S. military during the government shutdown is Timothy Mellon, an heir to a renowned Gilded Age family, The New York Times reported Saturday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

But Mellon’s donation works out to only about $100 per service member. And the donation might run afoul of the law, the Times noted.

When President Donald Trump announced the donation at the White House on Thursday, he did not name the individual who had provided the cash, only describing the person as a “patriot” and “friend of mine.”

Mellon’s contribution was aimed at helping to cover the cost of U.S. military troops’ salaries and benefits while the government shutdown wears on.

The donation might have violated the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from spending funds that have not been appropriated by Congress, according to the Times.

His gift is also unlikely to go far in offsetting the cost of military pay during the shutdown.

There are more than 1.3 million troops in the active-duty military, and the Trump administration’s 2025 budget included a request of around $600 billion in military compensation, the Times reported.

Mellon, a businessman and banking heir, is a longtime Trump donor. He contributed $50 million to a super PAC in support of the president in 2024, one of the biggest single donations ever publicly shared, The Times reports.

Mellon is also the grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon.

Read the complete Times report here.