Trump Administration Signals Retreat on Controversial "Anti-Weaponization" Fund

The Trump administration is backing away from its plan to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they were wrongly prosecuted, after a federal judge temporarily blocked it and bipartisan opposition threatened to stall other Republican priorities.

The Justice Department said it "disagrees strongly" with the court's ruling but will comply with it. President Trump told ABC News, "If a court doesn't allow it, and right now a court has it held up... what can you do?"

The fund drew fierce backlash after it became clear that Trump allies and potentially convicted January 6th rioters could collect taxpayer-funded payouts. A prosecutor who worked on January 6th cases filed suit to block it, and the judge paused the fund while the case moves forward. Even some Republicans pushed back, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying, "I do think that the best way to handle it is if the Administration decides to shut it down themselves."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had previously defended the fund, arguing it was justified "in response to years and years of weaponization" and that "anybody in this country is eligible to apply."

Democrats are now moving to permanently kill it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "Democrats are going to make sure this slush fund is dead and cannot be revived," and Senator Adam Schiff introduced legislation that would ban any president, current or future, from creating a similar fund.

The fight over the fund also had a ripple effect on other Republican legislation. A GOP bill to fund ICE and border patrol stalled in part because of opposition tied to the fund, and Republicans are hoping that bill can move forward now that the fund appears to be off the table.