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[link removed] [[link removed]] CNN: “Pentagon to use $130 million donation from anonymous Trump ‘friend’ to pay military members” [[link removed]]

The Trump administration announced that it would use a $130 million private donation to help pay military service members during the government shutdown.

While the donor's identity was initially withheld, the New York Times reported that the donation came from Timothy Mellon, a billionaire and major financial backer of President Trump.

The Trump administration’s acceptance of the donation represents an unprecedented shift from established government procedures for funding the military and raises serious ethical and legal concerns.

When ethical and legal lines are crossed, the law must be enforced—and that’s precisely what CREW is doing every day. Stand with us as we hold power accountable by chipping in today to support CREW’s work → [[link removed]]

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The acceptance of the $130 million donation has raised legal concerns from both sides of the aisle.

While the Pentagon has said it accepted the donation under its “general gift acceptance authority,” some have argued that this only allows it to receive gifts for specific purposes, such as funding military schools or hospitals.

The donation also could violate the Antideficiency Act , which prohibits federal agencies from spending funds in excess of those appropriated to them.

But Trump doesn’t seem to care.

With more than 1.3 million troops in the active-duty military, the contribution amounts to only about $100 per service member, and is unlikely to make much of a dent in covering the troops' salaries and benefits.

Nevertheless, the acceptance of the donation still raises significant ethical and legal concerns—and this is not how things should work in a democracy.

John, the American government should be funded by the American people, not mega-donor friends of the president.

CREW’s taking action to hold the Trump administration accountable and ensure our government is funded by the people—not billionaires. If you’re with us, please donate today to support our work → [[link removed]]

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