Trump and ‘Friends’ Are Keeping the Military Paid – But for How Long?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul only works until they both run out of money.

It’s day 24 of the shutdown, and Senate Democrats killed yet another attempt to keep the military and other essential federal workers paid on Thursday, October 23. Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has been directed to use other funds to keep the paychecks coming, and President Trump announced that a personal friend had donated $130 million to the cause. But how long can this alternative funding really last?

The Partisan Funding Fight

A bill to pay federal employees, including the military, failed 54-45 on Thursday – just six shy of the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate. Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) voted with the Republican majority, while Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) abstained, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) changed his vote to “nay” so that he could make a motion to reconsider.

The bill, known as the Shutdown Fairness Act, was introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). Republicans said it would bring relief to those who are required to keep working, even without paychecks. Democrats, however, argued the bill would give President Trump too broad an authority to determine who gets paid and who doesn’t.

The Senate then held a couple of confirmation votes and gaveled out until Monday without trying for the 13th time to pass the House GOP’s continuing resolution that would reopen the government and keep it funded through November 21 – and, consequently, keep the military and other federal workers paid.

Alternative Funding and a Mysterious Friend of the Military

President Trump, however, has directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to redirect about $8 billion left over from the previous fiscal year’s Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation accounts into payroll. He also announced Thursday that a “friend of mine” had donated $130 million to the cause.

“He called us the other day and said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown … because I love the military and I love the country,’” Trump told the press during a Q&A after delivering remarks on the situation with Venezuela and the drug boats.

“He doesn’t really want the recognition, if you want to know the truth, but he gave us a check for $130 million, which was sort of a shortfall, and that’s going to go to the military,” the president added. The internet, of course, is rife with speculation. Many think it was Elon Musk. Some say Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4. Still, others think it’s Trump himself.

Whoever made the donation, the question remains: How long will it keep our service members paid? $130 million is a lot of money – unless you’re the military. In fiscal year 2025, the budget included $236 billion for DoD payroll. Doing a little math shows that comes out to about $19.6 billion a month. So, while $130 million is certainly a generous donation, it wouldn’t cover even one day of troop salaries.

The $8 billion or so in redirected funds was enough to cover the October 15 checks. But what about October 31? If the shutdown doesn’t end soon – or, if a separate worker compensation bill or a lot more in private donations doesn’t materialize – US military service members will have to find another way to keep their bills paid and put food on the table.