Pentagon accepts mystery $130 million donation as Democrats prolong shutdown

The Pentagon has accepted a $130 million donation to partially pay for troops while the government is shut down, the agency said Friday.

President Donald Trump announced the donation on Thursday, saying that a “friend” made the donation but did not elaborate on the benefactor’s identity. The Pentagon has shifted unused funds intended for research to pay out mid-month paychecks to troops, but it remains unclear if the shutdown will cause troops to miss their next paycheck at the end of the month.

“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”

The shutdown started on Oct. 1 after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led nearly all Senate Democrats to block a bipartisan clean continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government. Nearly all Senate Democrats have voted down funding measures. while only a handful of Democratic caucus members have crossed party lines to vote for the stopgap bill.

Senate Democrats shot down a bill Thursday that would have paid troops and other essential federal workers. Only Democratic Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia crossed party lines to back the legislation.

Pentagon rules state that an ethics committee has to review any donations of $10,000 or more that go to troops or family members.

The troop’s next paycheck is scheduled to be delivered on Oct 30.

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