Under U.S. government shutdown conditions, the Pentagon made history on October 23, 2025 when they accepted an unprecedented $130 million donation from an anonymous benefactor reportedly connected with former President Donald Trump and accepted under their general gift acceptance authority with strict instructions to use only for service members’ compensation purposes. It has been widely reported by The Washington Post and other publications. President Trump acknowledged and thanked their donation as being from someone he regarded as “my friend”. He acknowledged it publically on October 23, 2025 by publicly thanking their donation on October 23, 2025 when he publicly acknowledged and thanked them on October 23, 2025 when publicly acknowledging it publicly acknowledged by him publicly thanking their donation as well. On this same date President Trump made public acknowledgement of this donation as well. On this date President Trump publicly acknowledged it and publicly thanked their anonymous donor whom he thanked as well; President Trump then publicly thanked their donation under DoD’s general Gift Acceptance Authority with strict directive that these funds be exclusively utilized exclusively towards service members compensation purposes by way of The Washington Post plus 1.
Legal and Ethical Considerations of Bioresearch Development Project

Acceptance of such a significant private donation has raised legal and ethical issues, with critics alleging it may violate both the U.S. Constitution and Anti-Deficiency Act, which prevents federal agencies from spending funds not authorized by Congress. Bobby Kogan, senior director for federal budget policy at Center for American Progress noted that though exceptions exist for donations to parks or schools, using such gifts by the Pentagon could potentially go beyond these legal bounds and breach these legal boundaries (Washington Post).
Influence on Military Operations

Though legal hurdles remain, the Pentagon has announced that their $130 million donation will go toward offsetting service members’ salaries and benefits during a government shutdown. While this amount covers less than a day’s payroll costs for military members alone – approximately $7.5 billion biweekly! With 2025 military pay and benefits budget exceeding $171 billion this donation represents only a fraction of financial needs during shutdown period, reported The Washington Post.
Capitol Hill Reaction
The donation has not gone without controversy on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers raising questions over its legality and transparency. Although the White House referred all inquiries related to it to Departments of Defense and Treasury for review, all details surrounding the gift remain under close review by authorities such as The Washington Post.
Conclusion
The acceptance of an anonymous donation totaling $130 million for military salaries during the current government shutdown highlights the difficulties and challenges associated with funding federal operations under political gridlock. As this situation plays out, it highlights the necessity of having clear legal frameworks and transparency regarding managing federal finances – particularly as related to compensating service members whose contributions play such a vital role in national securit