Pentagon to pay staff salaries with $130 million donation from Trump 'ally'

The Pentagon announced that it has accepted a $130 million private donation to address the financial crisis stemming from the federal government shutdown. The donation was made by an undisclosed ally of US President Donald Trump, according to CNN.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that the donation "will be used for the salaries and fringe benefits of the soldiers," adding that the money in question falls under the department's "general authority to accept donations."

“We need to know who is funding the army.”

The issue has sparked debates in Congress about transparency and security. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, issued a scathing statement, saying, “Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises the question of whether our troops are being indirectly funded by foreign powers. This is deeply troubling.”

White House officials announced that the cost of military payments for the first half of October was approximately $6.5 billion. However, Congress's failure to approve the interim budget effectively shut down the federal government as of October 1, 2025.

This led to the loss of spending authority for many federal agencies, including the Department of Defense. The Pentagon's acceptance of donations from private sources to maintain military operations and payroll during this period was notable as a rare practice in US history.

The "source of the donation is unclear" debate

The source of the donation, reportedly from Trump's inner circle, has not been officially disclosed, fueling debate in Washington about the possibility of foreign funding and political influence.

Defense analysts say the Pentagon's acceptance of such a donation reveals the "depth of the governance crisis" and the bottlenecks in the federal financial system.

The US government shutdown is the first since 2018-2019, and it remains unclear how long it will last.