The mystery donor whose $130 million contribution is meant to pay U.S. military troops during the government shutdown is Timothy Mellon , an heir to a renowned Gilded Age banking family, The New York Times reported Saturday.

But Mellon's donation works out to only about $100 per service member. It costs nearly $6.4 billion to pay U.S. troops every two weeks.

And using his money might run afoul of federal law, according to the Times, which cited two people familiar with the matter in identifying the billionaire railroad magnate as the donor.

When President Donald Trump announced the donation at the White House on Thursday, he did not identify the man by name, but described him as a "great patriot" and a "friend of mine."

"And he's a big supporter of mine," Trump told reporte

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