Reclusive Republican donor is descendant of gilded aged industrialist and former treasury secretary Andrew Mellon

A reclusive billionaire, anti-tax crusader and major financial backer of Donald Trump has been named as the anonymous private donor who gave $130m to the government to help pay US troops during the federal shutdown that is now in its fourth week, according to the New York Times.

The donation, which equates to about $100 per service member, appears to be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending funds in advance or in excess of congressional appropriations – and from accepting voluntary services “except in the case of emergency involving the safety of human life or the protection of property”.

Potential penalties for violations include both administrative and criminal sanctions such as suspension or removal from duty, fines and imprisonment.

  • Lyrl@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    2·
    4 hours ago

    Interesting, I hadn’t heard about that elsewhere. It looks like it’s not for US military personnel, only the civilian local employees at the base. https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2025-10-22/germany-covers-federal-worker-paychecks-19507712.html

    State officials said they had urged the German finance ministry to step in and ensure payment of the wages owed to Germans employed at the assorted U.S. military bases within its territory…

    The ministry is preparing approximately $50 million in emergency funding to ensure workers are paid on time, German news outlet Tagesschau reported Wednesday.

    …A union statement Monday said that the current shutdown, which began Oct. 1, differs from previous ones, when German staffers employed by the U.S. received pay in accordance with German labor law and the NATO Status of Forces Agreement.

    “What is new is that the current U.S. administration is apparently unwilling to comply with German laws,” the Ver.di statement said. Rheinland-Pfalz officials said Germany expects to be reimbursed once the U.S. government reopens.