President Donald Trump is doubling down on a highly controversial $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund," using the taxpayer-financed initiative as leverage against Republican senators currently blocking his choice for attorney general.
In a weekend Truth Social post, Trump issued an ultimatum to GOP Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who have stalled the confirmation of interim Attorney General Todd Blanche. If the lawmakers refuse to advance Blanche's nomination, Trump threatened to bypass the Senate by keeping him in an acting capacity while fiercely lobbying Congress to pass the compensation fund into law.
"It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done," the president declared.
The proposed fund—initially birthed from an unprecedented and now-voided settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service—was designed to financially compensate individuals claiming they faced political persecution under the Biden administration. Bipartisan critics and law enforcement officials have sounded the alarm over the initiative, expressing grave concerns that it could be used to funnel taxpayer dollars to political allies, including those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Blanche, who formerly served as Trump’s criminal defense attorney, had previously assured lawmakers that the payout fund was "dead." However, Cornyn and Tillis have demanded ironclad guarantees that the initiative will not be resurrected.
Rather than assuaging those concerns, Trump has inflamed the standoff. Praising Blanche as a "voice of reason," Trump accused the two dissenting senators of pursuing a personal vendetta because he withheld political endorsements from them. Tillis is slated to retire in January following strained relations with the president, while Cornyn recently lost his Texas primary to Ken Paxton, whom Trump explicitly backed.
Despite Trump's threat to codify the fund via an "Anti-Weaponization Bill," legislative realities suggest a steep uphill battle. Republican leaders have reportedly branded the initiative as politically toxic ahead of the upcoming November midterms, making congressional approval highly improbable.
The escalating confirmation battle is the latest hurdle for Blanche, whose tenure has been dogged by questions regarding his independence and allegiance to the president. Earlier this month, a federal judge struck down the underlying IRS settlement that originally spawned the fund, which would have also shielded the Trump family from future tax probes. In a scathing ruling, the judge accused Blanche of double-dealing by simultaneously representing both Trump and the federal agency the president was suing.