What do you mean 'who paid for it'? The federal government, of course. The budgets for the Navy Department and the War Department covered it. You want to imply that Lincoln violated the Constitution by appropriating money for the resupply effort instead of Congress. Such an implication is too ludicrous to deserve a reasonable answer.
I am not implying anything. I am stating fact.
According to several sources there were not enough funds in the Navy Department budget to finance the operation, but that did not stop Lincoln.
(Meigs, "Meigs on Civil War", 301; Crawford, "Genesis", 411-412; Basler, "Lincoln", 4:320; and the ORN, 4:108-09.)
"Money was needed to prepare and finance the expedition, and Congress had provided no secret service funds for the military.
"Seward's department (State) alone did have extra funds. With Lincoln's consent, he got $10,000 in coin from State, carried it home, and gave it to Meigs (Captain Montgomery C. Meigs) for his work."
Meigs then traveled to New York, and with Gustavus Fox, engaged and paid for civilian shipping to move troops and supplies south.
He clearly instructed a Cabinet member to remove cash from a non-military department, secretly move it to private hands, and directed it to be spent on an unauthorized and clandestine military operation against the South.
I am not implying that Lincoln violated the Constitution. I am giving you the evidence that he did.
And how does that violate the Constitution? What clause?
free dixie,sw