US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration’s proposed $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is “dead,” even as he continued to advocate for compensating individuals he contends were unfairly targeted by the Department of Justice.
Speaking to reporters at Camp David, Trump noted that White House officials agreed not to establish the fund—which aimed to compensate political allies—though he made clear he personally disagreed with dropping the initiative.
The President’s remarks followed an early-morning social media post in which he highlighted the ongoing financial and personal fallout faced by those prosecuted by the DOJ, including individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack.
“Are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them,” Trump wrote regarding those targeted by federal prosecutions.
The proposal has drawn sharp resistance from key GOP members on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Both lawmakers have pledged to block the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to lead the Justice Department until the White House delivers a formal, written pledge that the fund is permanently scrapped.
Despite weeks of negotiations between the senators, White House officials, and Blanche, the lawmakers maintain that verbal assurances fall short. Tillis argued that the President’s public comments undercut claims that the proposal was officially defunct.
“The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it,” Tillis stated in response to Trump’s social media post.
Trump pushed back on the delay, calling for Blanche’s immediate confirmation and describing his nominee as a “pawn in this whole thing.”
The ongoing clash over the compensation fund creates a significant hurdle for the administration as it works to secure necessary Republican votes on the committee.