An out-of-the-box solution announced by US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, to the problem of paying US army salaries in light of the government shutdown.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that a wealthy private donor had provided the US government with $130 million to cover any shortfall in military salaries due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Trump described the donor as a “friend”, but refused to reveal his identity, noting that this donor contacted the White House personally to make the offer.
About two weeks ago, Trump said in a post on his social media platform, “Truth Social,”: “I am using my authority, as Commander-in-Chief, to direct Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to use all available funds to pay the salaries of our troops on October 15.”
He added: “We have identified the funds needed to do this, and Minister Hegseth will use them to pay the salaries of our soldiers.”
Trump did not specify the sources of funding or the total amount that will be used to pay the soldiers’ salaries.
Earlier, the White House relied on historical precedents dating back to the era of President George Washington to justify President Trump’s decision to pay military salaries without the approval of Congress, despite the continued government closure.
The White House Office of Management and Budget sent Congress a five-page memo asserting that American history gives the president the authority to move funds in cases of national emergencies, according to Axios.
In a precedent that had not occurred in about seven years, the US federal government entered a state of administrative paralysis after the failure of the two parties (Republican and Democratic) to reach an agreement on the budget, which led to the disruption of major institutions and forced hundreds of thousands of employees to take unpaid leave.
