US government shutdown: Pentagon receives 130 million USD donation to pay military salaries
Photo: US Department of Defense, better known as Pentagon (Wikimedia)
An anonymous donor in the United States has contributed $130 million to the Pentagon to fund salaries and benefits for military personnel during the ongoing government shutdown, while federal operations are halted and payments from the national budget cannot be issued, according to NBC News.
Pentagon’s chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department accepted the donation under its gift acceptance authority and specified how the funds must be used.
"The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops," Parnell said.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that an anonymous donor contributed $130 million to the Pentagon. According to Trump, the donor is "a patriot" and "a friend," though he refused to disclose the person’s name. The president added that the anonymous benefactor allegedly expressed willingness to cover any funding shortfall faced by federal agencies due to the ongoing government shutdown.
US government shutdown: details
Since October 1, 2025, the US government has been partially shut down because Congress failed to approve a federal funding bill. This marks the first shutdown in seven years and the third during Trump’s two presidential terms.
The current shutdown has already become the second-longest in US history; the record belongs to the 35-day shutdown that occurred in 2018–2019 during Trump’s first presidency.
Federal agencies are facing numerous challenges. For instance, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has placed 1,400 employees on unpaid leave. Overall, the shutdown is costing the US an estimated $15 billion per day.
