Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) took a dig at President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson after the Department of Defense accepted a private $130 million donation to help pay members of the military amid the long-running shutdown.
Trump announced the donation on Thursday, saying it came from “a friend” of his who did not want to be named. The news and lack of transparency raised ethical questions on whether the donor could have interests that might be affected by the gift. A New York Times report on Saturday identified the donor as billionaire Timothy Mellon.
In a Friday night appearance on CNN’s “The Source,” Smith told host Kaitlan Collins he was “not OK” with the move.
“We have a representative democracy, and we should work through that system of government. Once we’ve privatized it, that takes the power out of the hands of the people,” Smith said.
He added that he and his colleagues should “negotiate” and “pass bills” to pay the military, but they are unable to do so because House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) won’t bring the House back into session.
