Amid the government shutdown, we have seen large scale harm to federal workers and to
those who depend on government programs, such as SNAP. In some instances, there are
funds moved around – such as the Trump Administration did with military research funding
moved to pay troops. There are also funds that are held in case of emergency, such as
SNAP contingency funds which recipients hope are released. But these funds can only go
so far.
In the absence of government funding, there has been a response from the public to help
keep things afloat. People have been increasing donations to food backs or other mutual
aid programs. Still, many of the general public are struggling to get by and cannot emulate
the aid the government provides. To bridge some of these funding gaps, individual donors
as well as companies have begun to contribute to programs or projects to keep things
afloat.
Donations to workers and programs
Air traffic controllers are a critical group affected by the shutdown, resulting in several
airports having ground stops these past few weeks as controllers call out sick. Controllers
must decide between working for nothing or finding alternate means of paying bills and
putting food on the table. United, Delta, JetBlue and American Airlines have all stated they
will be providing food to controllers in hopes of keeping planes in the air, while also calling
on congress to reopen the government.
On October 23rd, a private donor who trump referred to as ‘a friend,’ gave a $130 million
donation to pay troops; a donation that would cover around $100 per service member. The
heir to a banking fortune, Timothy Mellon, whose net worth is estimated to be between
$700 million and $4 billion, was revealed to have been the private donor. He is a longtime
republican donor and donated $165 million to republicans during the 2024 elections.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins responded in praise for this donation. She went on
to encourage liberal billionaire George Soros to donate his fortune to fund SNAP.
While unrelated to the shutdown, it feels relevant to the broader story. Trump’s $300
million ballroom has received many contributions from companies and individuals,
including Google, Amazon, and Nvidia, among many others. He is also pledging to use
some of his personal wealth to fund the project. Trump asserts that the ballroom will be
funded by investors, rather than on the taxpayer’s dime. But with all these contributions
from private donors, it raises concerns about what these companies will get in return? It’s
no secret that Trump has enjoyed a good quid pro quo.
The implications of privately funded government
While airlines funding food pantries is a rather innocuous action, it’s the other large
donations to the government that are concerning. Trump has historically ensured that his
large donors get something in return, like Palantir getting offered lucrative contracts with
the government (one example of perhaps hundreds). We expect our taxpayer dollars to be
used for the betterment of, well, the taxpayers. When the taxpayers no longer are funding
to keep operations of the government open, or are competing with large scale investors, it
becomes unclear whether those dollars will work for; the taxpayers, or the donors? This
especially is problematic under the context of a shutdown where the lives of many are on
the line.
Perhaps the most concerning among these is donating to fund the military. While military
personnel going unpaid certainly makes many Americans upset, there are many other
programs that have much stronger implications. SNAP cuts could impact more than 10%
of Americans directly, and more so indirectly through potential increases to price or social
instability. While Mellon’s $130 million donation is a drop in the bucket, it opens the door
to potentially other donors joining the ranks. Even if a ‘drop,’ the deed alone is likely
enough to be owed a favor.
Trump has long spoken about his intent to use the military against US protestors, going so
far as to threaten to invoke the insurrection act. We have already seen national guard
troops deployed (or attempted to be) in Illinois, California, and Oregon. While these service
members take an oath to the constitution, the cult of personality surrounding Trump,
including within the branches of military, calls into question the loyalties of members.
Adding this all up, we have a partially privately funded military, funded by donors seeking
something in return, led by Trump who has historically aided his large donors. If this trend
continues, these can become much more tangible issues.
This also opens the door to donations to other government groups. For instance, a private
donor may be inclined to fund ICE or CBP on the stipulation they raid competitors’
businesses. A donor may levy better arrangements in trade deals, with easier tariffs. Maybe
a donor would request a pardon or for the DOJ to turn the other way. The reality is these
things already seem to be happening, with figures like Changpeng Zhao being pardoned,
whose business Binance struck a deal with World Liberty Financial, a Trump family
cryptocurrency enterprise.
The slope of these implications is very steep, and it’s already a trajectory we seem to be on.
Much of this is speculative, but from the examples we already have seen (innumerable not
included), we must wonder where this heads to. Corruption has been the Trump family
business for years now, and there is no end in sight with a stacked judiciary.
These donations differ from taxes. As strongly as I believe that the wealthy should be
paying a larger share of the tax burden, this system is antithetical to the purpose of taxes.
When we pay taxes, those funds are divided up to fund all the government, not just one
program. When you fill out your tax forms, there isn’t a grocery store-style ‘would you like
to donate $5 to help the military?’ When the wealthy can dodge taxes and then pick and
choose to pay into government programs, it does not work towards the interests of all of
America. It’s always for selfish gain, especially under Trump.
With Trump funding his own ballroom, it also comes into question if Trump would fund
government projects on his own dime, or through some form of shell, such as his
aforementioned crypto enterprise. The supreme court has already granted him immunity
from crimes committed in duties of the presidency, so any issue of legality is null and void.
What’s to stop Trump from funding his own military force through ICE or the military itself.
The shutdown continues
Of course, these funds matter much more during a shutdown, and the question of how
long this goes on still seems to be murky. As of writing, it seems that at least until Monday
November 3rd, the government will remain shut down, with legislators heading home for
the weekend. This means SNAP will likely see cuts, even if brief. Though, a judge ruled that
emergency funds can be dispersed. Either way, this may put pressure on lawmakers to act,
but with republicans deadset on the continuing resolution (which only kicks the issue
down a month), and democrats insistent on extending ACA subsidies, its unlikely to be
resolved soon. Even if the government does reopen, we could be down this road again very
soon.
It seems that both parties see the shutdown as a win, in some way or another. Republicans
understand they are in full control of the government, as well as much of the media sphere.
If they can get just a few democratic senators to flip, perhaps because of media
campaigns, they will be able to pass their continuing resolution or actual funding plan
without any modifications. Conversely, Democrats have had no luck with any legislative
issues during this past year and understand this is one of the few times they can get
anything done. To cave in now would cement the public sentiment of the party being
useless. If they hold out, they could get their ACA subsidies and save face, even if the win
is small. Still, this all comes at the detriment of Americans.
At some point, the cracks will become much more severe; social instability will hasten the
reopening of government, at least in theory. Funds need to come from somewhere, and
fast. Theres a saying that society is only three missed meals away from anarchy, and the
shutdown dangles the country dangerously close to that. At that point, could we see the
highest bidder take the helm of funding these programs in lapse of the government?
While I strongly hope that the government can reopen and put funding back into these
critical social programs, there is a sense that disorder is the plan, and prolonging it could
give Trump more leverage. With such wealth accumulated around Trump, privately funded
government programs seem to be the next big play, even when the government reopens.
Corruption, globally, has led to some of the largest protests met with violent crackdowns,
such as in Nepal, the Philippines, and Morocco just this year. As we dive further into the
Trump presidency and see the levels of cruelty and corruption with it, we must wonder if
such protests are only becoming inevitable. Or maybe, that is all part of the gambit