1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

Thank you for your recent letter regarding military pay amid the ongoing government shutdown. After reviewing your statement and the recent reports about the Department of Defense accepting a $130 million anonymous donation to help fund military salaries, I am deeply concerned by what appears to be a serious breach of both law and democratic accountability. The Antideficiency Act exists precisely to prevent the Executive Branch—or anyone else—from spending money that Congress has not appropriated. Allowing private donors to fill those funding gaps is not a “solution”; it is a circumvention of congressional authority and a threat to the constitutional separation of powers. You acknowledged that there are “legal questions” surrounding the Department of Defense’s acceptance of this donation. Those questions are not minor—they go to the heart of whether the government can accept private money to operate public functions. If anonymous individuals can pay our troops, what stops private money from paying other parts of government or influencing military priorities? I ask that you, as Iowa’s senior senator and a long-time advocate for government oversight, publicly address the following: 1 Who was the donor of the $130 million, and what conditions were attached? 2 Has the Department of Defense violated the Antideficiency Act or other appropriations laws by redirecting funds or accepting conditioned private gifts? 3 Will you request an official investigation by the Government Accountability Office or the Inspector General into the legality of these payments? 4 What steps will you take to ensure that Congress—not private donors—remains solely responsible for funding the U.S. military? Our troops deserve to be paid, but they also deserve a government that upholds the law, respects the Constitution, and protects them from becoming instruments of private influence. I urge you to use your position to defend the integrity of our public institutions.