By Gram Slattery and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a wealthy private donor has provided $130 million to the U.S. government to cover potential shortfalls in military salaries caused by the current government shutdown.
At an event at the White House, Trump praised the wealthy donor as a patriot and a “friend of mine” but declined to name him.
“He called us the other day and said, ‘I would like to contribute to any shortfall that you have because of the Democratic shutdown… because I love the military and I love the country,’” Trump said.
The administration is facing increasing pressure to ensure active duty service members receive their paychecks despite the budget impasse. Trump previously signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to repurpose unused research funds to cover salaries.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the military funding shift a temporary solution and warned that troops could soon stop receiving paychecks if Congress does not pass a budget resolution.
The US federal government has been partially shut down since October 1 as lawmakers in Congress remain deadlocked over a new budget, with disputes over healthcare subsidies at the center of the impasse.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Diane Craft and David Gregorio)