The thriller donor who provided $130 million to pay troops throughout the federal government shutdown is Timothy Mellon, sources advised The New York Occasions on Saturday.
The extraordinarily personal billionaire is a prime Republican backer and contributed $125 million to the Make America Nice Once more tremendous PAC that supported Donald Trump throughout his presidential bid final yr.
Trump introduced the nameless donation on Thursday, declining to call the benefactor, solely saying that the person was a “patriot” and a buddy.
When requested about Mellon on Friday, Trump declined to determine him because the donor whereas talking to reporters. He stated the person was “a fantastic American citizen” and a “substantial man.”
“He doesn’t need publicity,” Trump stated, in keeping with The Occasions. “He choose that his identify not be talked about which is fairly uncommon on this planet I come from, and on this planet of politics, you need your identify talked about.”
The Pentagon advised The Occasions it accepted the donation below the “common reward acceptance authority.”
However the donation could also be in violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prevents federal companies from spending extra money than Congress permits or from utilizing unpaid assist that Congress hasn’t permitted.
The Mellon household basis didn’t reply to Fortune’s request for remark, and makes an attempt by the Occasions to succeed in Mellon had been unsuccessful.
Mellon’s fortune
Mellon based the now-defunct railroad firm Guilford Transportation Industries in 1981, however a lot of his wealth is from his grandfather, Andrew, who was Treasury secretary from 1921 to 1932. Throughout this time, Andrew efficiently campaigned to take away property taxes so he might depart his fortune to his heirs.
Previous to working for the Treasury, Andrew gathered his wealth in banking, industrials and investing within the early levels of corporations.
The Mellon household was named considered one of America’s richest households by Forbes final yr and has a mixed internet value of simply over $14 billion.
Though Timothy Mellon’s share of this wealth isn’t effectively understood, he stated his internet value was about $700 million in 2014. The London Occasions estimated it to be about $1 billion final yr, and a relative advised Vainness Truthful it was nearer to $4.2 billion, including that Mellon didn’t need individuals to know his true internet value.
Between 1996 and 2018, Mellon donated about $350,000 to political causes, in accordance to the Wall Avenue Journal. However in the course of the 2020 election, his political spending exploded, donating $60 million to Republican candidates, together with $20 million to Trump.
Within the 2024 cycle, Mellon donated a complete of $165 million, in keeping with marketing campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets. This included $25 million to the political motion committee American Values 2024 that supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential marketing campaign.
In Mellon’s self-published autobiography panam.captain from 2015, Kennedy is quoted as saying, “Tim Mellon is a maverick entrepreneur who embodies probably the most admirable qualities of what FDR known as ‘American Industrial genius.’”
Authorities shutdown
Mellon’s donation comes as Trump has promised to pay navy service members, immigration brokers and legislation enforcement officers regardless of not having approval by lawmakers for cash for his or her wages.
He signed an govt order this month ordering the Pentagon to make use of parts of analysis and growth funds to cowl troops’ salaries.
About 670,000 staff have been furloughed, in keeping with the Bipartisan Coverage Middle, a Washington-based suppose tank. And about 730,000 are working with out pay.
Because the shutdown drags on for its third week, 1000’s of federal staff have additionally skilled lacking their first paycheck this week.
