Blanche Says The Fund Is Off The Table
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told House lawmakers the Justice Department is done moving forward with the Anti-Weaponization Fund, shutting down one of the Trump administration’s most controversial legal ideas. His words were plain and to the point, which is refreshing in Washington: “We are not moving forward with the fund, period.” The fund had been pitched as a way to pay people who claimed they were hurt by government weaponization, but critics saw something else entirely, a taxpayer-backed slush pot dressed up in fancy language.
Court Fights Helped Sink The Proposal
The fund had already hit a major wall when U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary injunction blocking it. A hearing on the fund’s legal basis had been set for June 12, but Blanche said that will no longer happen. The problem was not hard to see. Three separate lawsuits were filed challenging the plan, and the biggest one argued the Justice Department was trying to create a new compensation program without Congress signing off. Funny how “settlement” sounds a lot less noble when it starts looking like a bypass around the legislative branch.
Judge Warned Taxpayer Money Could Go Out Too Soon
Brinkema said the plaintiffs raised serious legal questions about whether the executive branch had the power to create and fund the program on its own. She also warned that if the DOJ kept going, taxpayer money could be handed out before the court had a full chance to review the fund’s legality. That is the kind of detail the left usually loves to ignore until a judge slams on the brakes. The Justice Department had planned for the money to come from the federal Judgment Fund, which is normally used to pay government settlements and court judgments, not to launch a brand-new program with a five-member board picking winners and losers.
DOJ Still Has Not Said What Happens Next
Blanche said no work had actually started on setting up the fund while the litigation played out, so this was not some half-built machine that got stranded in the garage. Still, the Justice Department has not said whether it will formally dissolve the fund, withdraw its filings, or ask the courts to dismiss the pending lawsuits. In other words, Washington has taken a huge swing and now seems surprised the pitch got called out as illegal before it crossed home plate. For now, the anti-weaponization idea remains a talking point, not a payout.
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