from the shady,-stupid,-and-inadequate dept
A lot of GOP politicians align themselves with Christianity, especially the offshoot that believes the richer you are, the more God loves you. (That it tends to dovetail nicely with white Christian nationalism is just a bonus in these Trumpian times.) But somehow they never seem to be able to spend a dime of their own when people are in need.
Just take a look at Kristi Noem, current DHS head and former South Dakota governor. Noem sent a bunch of South Dakota National Guard members to the Texas border. Later, she refused to spend money deploying troops while her constituents were getting flooded out of their homes. She justified her refusal to spend residents’ tax dollars to help residents by pointing out the trip to the Texas border was actually paid for by someone with more money than discretion. She apparently hoped this would offset the $1.3 million in state emergency relief funds she blew on being performative, rather than on helping out the people who likely voted for her.
It’s always nice to have a few helpful millionaires/billionaires in your pocket. Donald Trump has more than a few of those. With the GOP refusing to negotiate in good faith with the Democratic party on a funding bill, the government remains shut down. Despite the fact that it’s the GOP holding the country hostage, rich Trump supporters who would absolutely riot if anyone suggested raising their taxes are cutting massive checks to cover a few of the administration’s expenses during this shut down.
News about an anonymous donor kicking in $130 million to pay the troops circulated for a bit, thanks to Trump’s inability to keep his mouth shut about goddamn anything.
Mr. Trump announced the donation on Thursday night, but he declined to name the person who provided the funds, only calling him a “patriot” and a friend.
[…]
“He doesn’t want publicity,” Mr. Trump said as he headed to Malaysia. “He prefer that his name not be mentioned which is pretty unusual in the world I come from, and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.”
The New York Times managed to identify the person behind this generous donation — a donation that can only be considered “generous” in the sense that it never should have happened in the first place.
Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown, according to two people familiar with the matter.
It sounds like a lot, but we’re talking about a government that has been several trillion in the hole for years now. I’d love to see how this gets divvied up because if it’s just divided equally, it’s not going to mean a thing to the troops currently getting screwed by the party that claims it loves them the most.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Trump administration’s 2025 budget requested about $600 billion in total military compensation. A $130 million donation would equal about $100 a service member.
Getting an extra Benjamin is nice if you’re already getting paid. When you’re not getting paid, $100 is just enough money to make you resent it. Sure, you’ve got $100 more than you had before Mellon stepped briefly out of the shadows to stuff a little cash into Trump’s coat pocket, but what the fuck are you supposed to do with it? It’s not enough to do anything practical, like keep all the utilities on or cover the house payment or even stock the cupboards. May as well just toss it in the nearest slot machine and hope for the best.
Mellon is a billionaire and a fan of Trump, as so many billionaires are. He’s also donated millions to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vax efforts. He’s also this guy:
In an autobiography that he self-published in 2015, Mr. Mellon described himself as a former liberal who moved to Wyoming from Connecticut for lower taxes and to be surrounded by fewer people.
His book also contains several incendiary passages about race. He wrote that Black people were “even more belligerent” after social programs were expanded in the 1960s and ’70s, and that social safety net programs amounted to “slavery redux.”
And yet here he is, being a social safety net for thousands of troops who may never even see the money he gave to the Trump administration. For one thing, the logistics costs alone would probably eat up a great deal of what’s been donated. For another, this is pretty clearly illegal, which means no distribution will even happen.
[T]he donation appears to be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending money in excess of congressional appropriations or from accepting voluntary services.
With that much still unsettled, this may remain in limbo. And that’s probably for the best. The only thing more insulting that gifting troops with a useless $100 bill would be clawing it back once federal funding resumes.
Finally, if we really want billionaires to bail out the government, the easiest way to do this is by TAXING THEM MORE. Let’s not pretend this guy is some sort of quiet hero who did this because he cares too deeply for this country to see soldiers go without pay. He did this because it’s another way to ensure he and the rest of the people in his tax bracket remain as privileged as they’ve always been. $100 can be gone in a second. But influence and access is forever.
Filed Under: antideficiency act, donald trump, gop, government shutdown, military funding, taxes, timothy mellon, trump administration
