The Pentagon has confirmed it has accepted an anonymous $130m (£98m) gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump announced the donation at the White House on Thursday, calling the donor a “patriot” and “friend of mine,” but withholding his name, saying they did not want recognition.
Mr Trump said: “He called us the other day and he said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I’d like to contribute, personally contribute, any shortfall you have with the military, because I love the military and I love the country’ … And today, he sent us a check for $130 million”.
The Pentagon confirmed it had accepted the donation on Thursday “under its general gift acceptance authority.”
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon, said in a statement.
“We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”
The government shutdown is now approaching its fifth week, and is on track to become one of the longest federal closures ever.
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Neither Republicans, who have control of the House, Senate and White House, nor Democrats, in the minority, are willing to budge in their broader stand-off over health care funding.
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On Thursday, the Senate failed to advance a GOP bill that would have provided pay for some federal workers, and an alternative offered by the Democrats to pay all federal workers also failed.
Although a large sum, the $130m gift amounts to just a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member pay.
The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used $6.5bn to cover military pay.
The next payday is due within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without pay.
The Trump administration diverted $8bn from military research and development funds to pay troops on time.
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Ethical concerns have been raised over the donation.
A spokesman for Senator Chris Coons, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Defence, said the anonymous nature of the donation raised concerns.
“Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions of whether our own troops are at risk of literally being bought and paid for by foreign powers,” the spokesman said.
Pentagon policy says authorities “must consult with their appropriate ethics official before accepting such a gift valued in excess of $10,000 to determine whether the donor is involved in any claims, procurement actions, litigation, or other particular matters involving the Department that must be considered prior to gift acceptance.”
