The Pentagon confirmed Friday it accepted an anonymous $130 million donation to help pay service members during the federal shutdown, an extraordinary step already drawing legal and ethics scrutiny, according to the Associated Press. President Donald Trump said a “friend” offered the money to cushion potential shortfalls.
The contribution is large but tiny next to the Defense Department’s payroll needs. The administration told Congress last week it used about $6.5 billion to make a recent pay period, and officials have not said whether they will again shift funds to cover the next payday due within days, the AP reported.
On Friday, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department accepted the money under its “general gift acceptance authority,” according to Federal News Network. “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops,” Parnell said. Democratic leaders have rejected that characterization, saying any pay risk stems from the lack of an enacted budget rather than a partisan decision, the AP reported.
Officials have also discussed repurposing unspent research-and-development funds to protect uniformed pay during the funding lapse, as reported by Reuters. Budget lawyers and watchdogs say reliance on private money to meet federal salaries tests the limits of appropriations law and transparency norms, an issue now in front of Pentagon comptrollers and congressional negotiators, as analyzed by Federal News Network.
The government has been partially shutdown since October 1 because Congress can’t agree on spending and health-care subsidies. There are still several important things we don’t know: how the Pentagon will utilize the $130 million, if more internal transfers will be needed to cover the next payroll, and how long interim remedies may last without a funding deal.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
