Trump Administration Will Follow Court’s Order to Halt $1.8 Bn Anti‑Weaponisation Fund

The Justice Department says it will comply with a court ruling that halts the Trump administration’s $1.8 bn (£1.3 bn) fund meant to compensate people who allege unfair treatment by the federal government during previous administrations.

In a statement released on Monday, the department stated that it “disagrees strongly with the decision” made by the court.

The fund was announced last month as part of a settlement agreement between the U.S. government and President Donald Trump over a leak of his tax returns. Democrats have called it a “slush fund”, and Republicans have opposed it. A federal judge temporarily blocked its creation until a hearing on 12 June.

The DOJ defended the fund’s establishment on Monday, saying it was created “to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people”.

The fund was “open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise”, the DOJ said.

The White House directed comments about the decision to the justice department. Last week, Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily stopped the creation of the $1.776bn government fund to compensate individuals who claimed to be targets of political investigation by previous administrations.

The fund had been set aside for “victims of lawfare” to seek compensation, and eligibility for it appeared broad. Brinkema barred the justice department from taking any steps to stand up or operate the fund – including processing or dispersing claims – until a preliminary hearing on 12 June.

Responding to the judge’s order, a DOJ spokesperson said they were “extremely confident” in the legality of the scheme.

The order came after two men who alleged the fund was discriminatory filed a lawsuit in Virginia, claiming they were targeted for political retribution by the Trump administration and would not be allowed to file claims for compensation.

Many Trump supporters who were prosecuted over the U.S. Capitol riot on 6 January 2021 have expressed plans to file claims, as well as members of Trump’s former inner circle.

Several Republican lawmakers, as well as Democrats, have voiced opposition to the fund since it was announced last month by Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump’s former personal lawyer who stepped in as the country’s top prosecutor after the ouster of Pam Bondi from that role in April.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has come out forcefully against the fund and reiterated his stance on Capitol Hill on Monday by saying that he prefers that the White House shut down the proposed fund if Congress is to pass a $72 bn (53.5 bn) budget reconciliation package to fund immigration agencies.

He said: “I made my views very clear on the issue. The best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.”

Earlier on Monday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer signaled that his party would push to eliminate the fund.

Schumer added on X: “Senate Democrats will push legislation to ban Trump’s corrupt MAGA slush fund and ensure that no president can ever do this again. We will make sure that it’s dead and can’t be revived—just like we did with Trump’s ballroom.”

Over the weekend, former U.S. Vice‑President Mike Pence sharply criticized the fund, saying it was a “bad idea from the start” and should be dropped.