Billionaire Timothy Mellon gave $130 million to pay the military amid the US shutdown. Sponsor name call The New York Times (NYT) newspaper cited two sources.
US President Donald Trump announced a large donation on October 23, information confirmed by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. It is not known exactly who transferred the money; The head of the White House called this person a friend and patriot.
The next day, Trump again refused to name the donor, noting that he wanted anonymity and did not want it made public. The newspaper said the donor was Timothy Mellon, who previously funded Robert Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign. and donated $50 million to a political action committee during Trump's election campaign.
The Mellon family's assets, according to Forbes, are $14.1 billion.
The shutdown in the United States officially began on October 1. The government was suspended because the Senate failed to agree on a budget due to disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over funding the health care system.
Trump broke the record for total federal government shutdown among other US leaders, Axios reported.
