Pentagon receives $130 million anonymous gift to pay troops

Gregory Korte and Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News on Oct 24, 2025

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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said it received an anonymous $130 million donation to pay the military during the U.S. government shutdown, a move the administration might not legally be able to carry out.

“On October 23, 2025, the Department of War accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million under its general gift acceptance authority,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said Friday in a statement. “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits.”

The donation, if used, is the latest in a series of legally questionable federal budget maneuvers that has allowed President Donald Trump to seize greater control of government functions amid the shutdown, which has stretched into its fourth week. The White House has moved to fire federal workers and slash funding for projects in areas governed by Democrats, some of which have drawn legal challenges.

The gift also raises questions about the identity of the donor and their motivations. Trump on Thursday said that an unnamed “friend” wrote a $130 million check after calling to express interest in covering “any shortfall you have with the military.” The president only described the person as “a man” who is a “patriot” but “doesn’t really want the recognition.”

Attempting to pay U.S. military troops during the shutdown could prove to be politically popular — and also highlight congressional Democrats’ refusal to approve a government spending bill. But federal law generally forbids individuals from making earmarked gifts to the government.

While people can make unconditional contributions to the U.S. Treasury, they’re credited to the general fund or used to pay down the national debt. The money can’t be spent without a congressional appropriation — and it’s that lack of an appropriation that has left large swaths of agencies shuttered.

The $130 million total would only cover a small portion of the payroll for the nation’s roughly 1.3 million active-duty military members — averaging about $100 per person. The government spent $9.8 billion on military personnel in September, according to the Treasury Department. The next pay date for troops is on Oct. 29.

“There are too many variables to accurately estimate how many personnel $130 million would pay, but with very rough calculations, it might cover about 2% of the active-duty force,” said Elaine McCusker, a former Pentagon comptroller and now senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Federal civilian employees and military service members generally aren’t paid during the shutdown. Nonetheless, Trump earlier this month directed the Pentagon to find any available funds to pay the troops.

There are exceptions to federal restrictions on the government accepting donations. The National Park Service is one, allowing Trump to take private contributions to fund his renovations to the White House, which sits in a national park.

Under laws dating to 1956, the military also has limited authority to accept private donations — but only for two specific purposes: to support military schools, hospitals, libraries, museums, cemeteries and similar institutions, and to help service members and civilian employees who are wounded or killed in the line of duty, and their families.

It’s that language referring to other institutions within the Department of Defense that the administration is using to support the acceptance of the donation, according to a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity. The money is deposited into the gift fund that has been historically used to fund military academies and cemeteries and is then disbursed for paychecks, the official said.

Matthew Lawrence, an Emory University law professor and former White House budget official, said the Army clause of the U.S. Constitution limits how the military can be funded and requires Congress to renew that authorization every two years.

“The framers were very concerned about presidential control of a standing army,” he said. “Allowing an army to be supported outside the appropriations process, such as during a lapse in appropriations, would run directly counter to this constitutional imperative.”

The White House has expanded its authority over federal budgetary measures during the shutdown. Trump’s budget director Russ Vought has claimed that he can unilaterally pause spending or lay off federal employees during a shutdown, prompting legal fights. The cuts have largely been concentrated in jurisdictions that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.

The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, shows no signs of ending soon with Republicans and Democrats at an impasse over funding the federal government. Democrats have insisted that any spending bill must also include a renewal of expiring health care subsidies.