Blanche rescinds Justice Department anti-weaponization fund before Senate vote

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche moved to rescind the Justice Department’s $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund just before a Senate confirmation vote, pulling the fund off the table. The retreat came after the fund, tied to an IRS lawsuit settlement, became a flashpoint over whether the department was policing partisan abuse or rewarding Donald Trump allies.

The fund was announced in January 2025 and was meant to compensate people who said they had been unfairly targeted or investigated by the government. Critics called it a “slush fund,” and the proposal drew sharper objections because it was linked to a separate settlement that gave Trump protection from ongoing IRS tax audits. Blanche also did not rule out payouts to some Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police.

The Justice Department complied with a court order blocking the funding, and Blanche told lawmakers the department was scrapping the plan amid bipartisan backlash. A federal judge extended the block after a Jan. 6 prosecutor sued to stop the administration’s actions, while later court proceedings rejected a separate attempt to block the fund after officials had already declared it dead. Blanche also told a top Democrat he had made a mistake with the $1.8 billion plan.

The dispute spilled into Blanche’s confirmation process in the Senate. The Judiciary Committee, chaired by Chuck Grassley, delayed or scrapped a vote over the controversy, and some Republican senators held back support until they received assurances the fund would not be revived.