The Department of Defense has accepted a $130 million donation from an unnamed source to help pay active-duty service members during the government shutdown, the agency said Friday.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that the funds were accepted under DOD’s “general gift acceptance authority.”
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” he continued, claiming Democrats “opted to withhold pay from troops” when they refused to pass a spending bill that would strip health care from millions of Americans.
Trump first announced the donation offer Thursday, saying the overture came from a “friend of mine” who told him, “I love the military and I love the country.”
“He called us the other day and said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown,’” Trump said.
