The Justice Department abandoned its plan for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” meant to compensate Donald Trump’s allies, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday. The controversial fund faced fierce legal challenges and public backlash since its proposal last month.
“We are not moving forward with the fund, period.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, House Appropriations Committee hearing, June 2, 2026
Blanche testified before the House Appropriations Committee that while the fund is dead, the Justice Department will maintain Trump’s immunity from IRS audits. The agreement prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from auditing Trump, his family members, and related business entities indefinitely.
The scrapped fund would have compensated individuals who claimed the federal government was “weaponized” against them during previous administrations. MAGA supporters championed the proposal as restitution for alleged political persecution, but legal experts called it unprecedented government overreach.
What you can do now
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Contact the House Judiciary Committee and demand oversight hearings on DOJ’s decision-making process. Call the committee at (202) 225-3951 and ask why Trump retains audit immunity while the fund was scrapped.
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Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to investigate the IRS audit prohibition. No president should be above tax law enforcement, and this agreement sets dangerous precedent for future administrations.
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Submit a FOIA request to the DOJ for documents related to the fund’s creation and cancellation. Use MuckRock.com to file your request and demand transparency about who proposed the fund and why it was abandoned.
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Contact your state attorney general and ask them to investigate whether the scrapped fund violated state laws. Find your AG at naag.org and urge them to join any multi-state legal challenges to Trump’s ongoing audit immunity.
Update, June 2, 2026: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told the House Appropriations Committee that the Justice Department will not move forward with the $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., pressed Blanche on whether the department intended to reinstate the fund after a federal judge temporarily blocked it pending additional legal arguments.
The fund was created as part of a settlement with President Donald Trump to resolve a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leaking of his tax returns. Senate Republicans had stalled immigration enforcement funding over the issue, and critics argued the fund could be used to compensate people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Blanche said the department would not revive the fund regardless of how future court proceedings resolve. The Justice Department had said on June 1 that it disagreed with the judge’s ruling but would comply with it.
The fund was created as part of a settlement with President Trump to resolve a lawsuit over the IRS leaking his tax returns. Blanche’s testimony was reported by PBS News and NPR.
Primary Sources
NPR: DOJ Won’t Move Ahead with Anti-Weaponization Fund, Blanche Says
The Guardian: Trump’s $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund Scrapped, Blanche Confirms
The Guardian Live: Trump Administration Abandons Controversial Compensation Fund