Senate Republicans delay immigration bill over Trump anti-weaponization fund

Republican unease over a new Trump-linked Justice Department settlement fund stalled a roughly $70 billion immigration-enforcement package, leaving money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other deportation efforts on hold as senators headed home for the Memorial Day recess.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Republican senators on Thursday to brief them on the $1.776 billion to $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” also described by critics as a “lawfare fund.” The Senate had been expected to begin considering the immigration measure that day, with President Donald Trump pressing for final passage by June 1, but GOP leaders instead sent senators out of Washington without a vote.

The fight centers on a settlement to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit over the Internal Revenue Service disclosure of his tax returns, which involved former contractor Charles Littlejohn and tax information disclosed in 2019 and 2020. The deal does not send Trump cash directly. Instead, it creates a pool to pay claims from people alleging they were victims of government “weaponization” or prosecutorial overreach, overseen by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general, with the president able to remove any member.

Senate Republicans said Blanche did not give enough clarity on how the fund would work, who could receive money, or how it would be fenced in. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the 53-member GOP caucus wanted an explanation of what administration officials intended to do with it, and he said the White House should have consulted Congress before announcing the settlement, calling the move “way harder than it should be.”

Democrats blasted the arrangement as a slush fund and warned it could end up compensating people convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Senator Thom Tillis said using taxpayer money that way would be “stupid on stilts,” reflecting a broader Republican worry that the settlement could blur the line between legal redress and political payoff.

The backlash also spread beyond the immigration bill. Republicans had already dropped a separate $1 billion White House complex security item tied to Trump’s push for a new ballroom after internal blowback. And the dispute unfolded as tensions rose between Trump and Senate Republicans, including his endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over Senator John Cornyn, a move several GOP senators saw as another signal that Trump’s leverage over his party has limits when members think the White House has overreached.