Thomas Phippen on September 28, 2017
The Trump Inaugural Committee plans to donate $3 million in surplus funds to victims of the latest hurricanes, The New York Times reports.
Trump’s inauguration committee, which raised a record $106 million from private donors for the 2017 inauguration of President Donald Trump, will donate funds left over to several charitable groups, the chairman of the committee said.
“The surplus of these privately donated funds will be put to great substantive use for relief victims throughout the heartbreaking regions of America impacted by the recent catastrophic disasters,” chairman Thomas Barrack said in an email.
The funds will go to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Samaritan’s Purse, and all three are providing relief to areas in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean devastated by recent hurricanes.
“The committee will continue to curate worthwhile causes and make further contributions that serve America’s agenda and will conclude in accordance with its charter in the next few months,” Barrack said.
Inaugural committee funds can be disbursed at the will of the committee, and don’t have to be used for specific purposes. Trump’s committee raised more than twice what former President Barack Obama’s committee raised from private donations.
Barrack promised earlier this year that charitable donations from the committee will “exceed any previous inauguration.” The committee plans to announce more giving programs in November.
Trump announced he will donate $1 million of his own money to Hurricane Harvey relief earlier in September, donating to the three recipients of inaugural donations plus several other local organizations in Texas.
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