Help is On the Way, Dear! Donor Makes Donation to Help Pay Troops During Government Shutdown

As the government shutdown drags on, concerns regarding the paychecks of U.S. troops has climbed. But despite the halt in government operations, a private donor has offered to step in and help make sure our soldiers are still paid. 

The Daily Wire reports:

The U.S. Department of War has confirmed that it has accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million to help keep U.S. troops paid during the government shutdown.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a close friend of his, whom he described as “patriotic,” gave the money to keep our military paid during what he’s called the “Schumer Shutdown,” referencing Senate Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The anonymous donor is reportedly Timothy Mellon, a billionaire railroad magnate and heir to the prominent banking and political Mellon family. Mellon has not confirmed the donation came from him.

Well, it appears Mr. Mellon is both very loaded and very patriotic—and I have zero complaints about that.

The article continues:

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “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.”

Trump made clear last week that he would find a way to pay troops despite the ongoing shutdown. He signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to repurpose unused funds to cover salaries in the interim.

How I imagine the conversation between Mellon and Trump went:

While it doesn’t sound like this gift will be able to cover salaries (the bi-weekly cost is a whopping 7.5 billion), I appreciate the generosity and thought. Hopefully Trump can do some shifting around to the budget to get the rest of the job done.

But to make matters more difficult, Trump will have to jump through hoops to get the donated money where it is intended to go. According to Fox News, Congress has to be involved when it comes to doling out the cash accordingly. And we all know how on top of things Congress has been lately…

All I have to say is Congress better make it happen. If they don’t, they’re even slimier than I thought they were. I hate how much red tape there is when it comes to doing a good deed like this. Our troops shouldn’t be punished because our lawmakers suck at doing their jobs. Fingers crossed the money can be used as Mellon wishes.