A major pillar of Donald Trump's political agenda is now on shaky ground. According to a source familiar with the matter on Monday, the US president is second-guessing his aggressive push for a $1.8 billion (£1.34 billion) compensation fund designed for his political allies.
This sudden change of heart coincides with a forced pause from the Justice Department, which just froze the entire scheme to stay in line with a new legal ruling.
White House Second-Guesses Multi-Billion-Dollar Fund
Trump's anti-weaponization initiative has been plagued by legal hurdles since its launch two weeks ago. Beyond the courtroom battles, a fierce wave of resistance is building among rank-and-file Republicans, who are deeply unsettled by a glaring lack of regulatory supervision and the haunting prospect that taxpayer money could land in the hands of the rioters who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
It’s true. No plans to commit violence at the Capitol on Jan 6.
— InvestigateJ6 (@InvestigateJ6) May 31, 2026
Peaceful and peaceable protesters were attacked by police unlawfully. J6 was a police riot. pic.twitter.com/bhGG7gYa8T
Pressure is mounting from within the Republican ranks to get the White House to abandon the initiative entirely. 'I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut [the fund] down themselves,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats were fully prepared to back their Republican colleagues into a corner. They had promised to force a high-profile vote on the matter, openly mocking the $1.8 billion (£1.34 billion) initiative as a 'Maga slush fund' that only came into existence to settle Donald Trump's highly speculative lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Republican Revolt Over Lack of Oversight
While the US president has pitched the opaque and poorly monitored treasury as a vital lifeline for people targeted by biased prosecutions, the plan has triggered intense panic within his own party. Key figures inside the Republican Party are now leading the charge against the scheme.
BREAKING: In a stunning moment, Republican Congresswoman Kat Cammack just went onto Fox News and ripped apart Donald Trump's anti-weaponization slush fund for January 6th Insurrectionists. When Republicans are going on Fox to do this, you know Trump is in trouble. pic.twitter.com/E4P31h4YMd
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) June 1, 2026
Under the current rules, the administration is under no obligation to reveal who receives the cash or the exact amounts handed out. Making matters worse, officials from the executive branch have admitted that individuals pardoned for their roles in the 6 January riots could easily qualify for the money.
'Trump's nearly $2bn Maga slush fund is his most brazen act of self-dealing yet and one of the most corrupt schemes ever launched by a president,' Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader, wrote in a letter to colleagues. 'Senate Democrats will not let it stand.'
.@POTUS on the Anti-Weaponization Fund: "I was suing IRS for a lot of different reasons. One of the reasons is they released my tax returns, which you're not allowed to do... so I released them from the lawsuit and I guess they made a settlement of some kind. I wasn't involved...… pic.twitter.com/eRaRIWXp3h
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 20, 2026
The legal battle stems from the president's lawsuit against the federal government following the unauthorised disclosure of his personal tax records. The highly controversial multi-billion-pound repository emerged just last month, serving as the central condition to resolve his legal fight with the IRS—an agency now run by the president's own political appointees.
Critics have levelled fierce accusations of systemic collusion and deep-seated corruption, noting that the revenue service completely declined to mount a defence against the claims. Unsurprisingly, both the political and judicial blowback has been instant.
Backlash Mounts Over 6 January Payouts
Meanwhile, the legal hurdles continue to compound. In Virginia on Friday, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema stepped in to issue a temporary injunction, blocking the administration from moving any capital out of the treasury. The judicial freeze comes in direct response to a lawsuit championed by the advocacy group Democracy Forward, which is actively fighting to have the entire operation completely dismantled.
On Sunday, Donald Trump's first-term vice-president, Mike Pence, waded into the row, calling the prospect of the federal government financially rewarding individuals who assaulted police officers and ransacked the US Capitol 'deeply offensive.' He told Meet the Press on NBC, 'And I think that's broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans.'
🚨 WHEN MIKE PENCE IS CALLING IT "DEEPLY OFFENSIVE," THE WHITE HOUSE HAS A PROBLEM.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) June 2, 2026
Pence is now publicly urging the administration to scrap the DOJ anti-weaponization fund altogether.
🔥 His concern?
That the fund could potentially compensate people involved in the January 6… pic.twitter.com/fx9bQHWfcC
California Governor Gavin Newsom has stepped in with a counter-strategy, proposing a 100 percent income tax on any cash distributed from the fund to a California resident. The financial blockade is quickly gaining momentum across other blue states, with similar legislative claws beginning to emerge in New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
Branding the scheme 'corruption in broad daylight,' Chuck Schumer declared that Democrats would block the payouts by forcing Senate Republicans to cast their votes on the record. Alongside the legislative blockade, the minority leader promised a relentless push for public hearings and demanded that all official records surrounding the treasury be immediately preserved.
'If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,' wrote Schumer. 'If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there too. There will be no escape hatch. No fake guardrails or backroom promises to hide behind. No justice department announcement that makes this corruption acceptable.'
Justice Department Forces Abrupt Halt
The Justice Department announced on Monday that it will freeze all progress on the $1.8 billion (£1.34 billion) 'anti-weaponisation' fund. The decision to halt the program comes on the heels of a district judge's temporary injunction, which effectively threw up a roadblock against establishing the initiative.
The Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund put forth by the United States District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, wherein the Court stated that, under no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed with…
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) June 1, 2026
Taking to X, the Justice Department confirmed it will comply with the judicial freeze, a move that effectively shelves the multi-billion-dollar initiative for the foreseeable future.
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