Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed Tuesday that the Trump administration is stepping back from plans to establish a controversial $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” after opposition from Republican lawmakers and a federal court ruling blocking the program.
The Justice Department announced Monday that it would halt work on the fund following an order issued by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily preventing the administration from moving forward with the program.
The proposed fund emerged from a settlement tied to President Donald Trump’s civil lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax returns by a former government contractor.
Under the proposal, taxpayer-funded payments would have been available to individuals claiming they had been unfairly targeted or “weaponized” by the federal government.
The administration argued the fund was intended to help Americans harmed by what Trump and his allies have described as political abuse under the Biden administration.
The Department of Justice stated that it strongly disagrees with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund put forth by U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in the Eastern District of Virginia, adding that the fund was designed to compensate people who had been “weaponized, targeted, or persecuted,” regardless of political affiliation.
The agency emphasized that it will abide by the court’s ruling.
The program quickly became politically problematic for congressional Republicans after allies of Trump expressed interest in filing claims. According to reports, Republican senators voiced strong objections to Blanche during a closed-door Senate GOP conference meeting last month. The disagreement became serious enough that Republican leaders ultimately abandoned plans to vote on funding legislation tied to Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement operations.
