This week U.S. service members are supposed to receive their paychecks but many are unsure if they will get paid beause of the ongoing government shutdown.
The Pentagon recently accepted a $130 million donation to pay the troops from billionaire Timothy Mellon, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warns the stopgap won’t last long if the shutdown continues.
The military’s payroll runs nearly $7 billion every two weeks. The Pentagon accepted the funds, which has raised legal concerns.
NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, told Caplin News that it’s quite out of the ordinary.
“This is so unusual that someone would donate $130 million for soldier pay,” said NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. “This wealthy person, it sounds like a band aid, but it’s just it’s highly unusual.”
Critics say the donation looks to violate the Antideficiency Act, which does not allow federal agencies to receive money from unauthorized volunteers or funds not appropriated by congress.
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost service members’ salaries and benefits,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
Meanwhile, many financial service companies are offering service members zero-interest loans to troops facing late or missing pay. Each military branch has furlough assistance offices standing by.
Several members of Congress are considering introducing legislation to pay active duty military during a shutdown.
