{"id":276,"date":"2026-06-02T22:13:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=276"},"modified":"2026-06-02T22:13:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T22:13:44","slug":"gop-senate-majority-leader-says-trump-will-withdraw-anti-weaponization-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=276","title":{"rendered":"GOP Senate Majority Leader Says Trump Will Withdraw \u201cAnti-Weaponization\u201d Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, <\/span><\/i>support us with a donation<\/span><\/i> of any size.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Russia Taking Advantage of Shortage of US Interceptor Missiles to Attack Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday the Trump administration has rescinded its plan to use a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who believe they were wrongly prosecuted by the Justice Department. <\/p>\n

That decision, combined with testimony from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to a House panel in the afternoon, could end the gridlock that has so far stalled floor debate on a roughly $70 billion package meant to fund immigration and deportation for the rest of President Donald Trump\u2019s term. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think his statements are going to be very definitive, very clear and create the certainty that I hope all of our members, and House members need as well, in order for us to proceed on the reconciliation bill,\u201d Thune said, referring to Blanche. \u201cBut I\u2019m not guaranteeing that happens yet.\u201d <\/p>\n

Blanche previewed his testimony to the House panel during a phone call with Thune, who said he believes the fund is completely off the table. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe conversation I had with him was very definitive,\u201d Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said. <\/p>\n

The DOJ posted on social media this week that it plans to abide by a temporary court ruling that blocked distribution of the funds, but Republican lawmakers said that wasn\u2019t enough to end the impasse it created.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department announced the creation of the fund last month as part of a legal settlement between Trump and the IRS over leaked copies of his returns during Trump\u2019s first term. The settlement included provisions that precluded future IRS investigations into Trump and his family.<\/p>\n

Senate Republicans Weigh In<\/h2>\n

Thune said GOP senators had a \u201cquite robust conversation\u201d during a closed-door lunch about the DOJ fund and whether to move forward with their immigration and deportation package. <\/p>\n

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said after that meeting it\u2019s up to GOP leaders to determine whether there are enough votes to move forward with the immigration package. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the next step is for our whip team to find out where everybody\u2019s at based on the administration\u2019s indication that they\u2019re not going to move forward with the fund,\u201d Hoeven said. <\/p>\n

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said there is a \u201cchance\u201d that Republicans could begin a marathon amendment voting session on the immigration bill as soon as Wednesday, if Blanche\u2019s testimony alleviates concerns created by the DOJ fund. <\/p>\n

Montana Sen. Steve Daines, however, said he believes it\u2019s \u201cunlikely\u201d that process begins this week. <\/p>\n

Read more Trump Adviser Hassett Claims Americans Are \u201cOptimistic\u201d About State of Economy<\/a><\/p>\n

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said earlier in the day, before the lunch, that he wouldn\u2019t accept taxpayer dollars going toward people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. <\/p>\n

\u201cTo provide restitution to somebody who assaulted a police officer and pled guilty to it. I mean, man, I\u2019ve seen some crazy stuff before, but that\u2019s right up there with crazy,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis said he needs to know \u201cif it\u2019s dead or nearly dead.\u201d <\/p>\n

Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford said he wants clarification from the White House about the settlement fund in light of the court\u2019s ruling. <\/p>\n

He added that Republicans are waiting to see if \u201cthe court case set aside both the settlement fund and the audits.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need clarification for what it is and isn\u2019t, because the White House already said \u2018we agree, we don\u2019t like it, but we agree with the courts,\u2019\u201d Lankford said. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Amendment to Ban Fund<\/h2>\n

Democrats have also criticized Trump and those in his administration over the fund, vowing to block it in law. <\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said during an afternoon press conference that promises from Trump and administration officials are \u201cworthless.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cTrump sued his own government, had his own Justice Department settle the case and is now trying to use taxpayer dollars to pay off his MAGA allies, billionaire buddies and cop-beating insurrectionists,\u201d Schumer said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd let\u2019s be clear, Trump has not killed this slush fund,\u201d he added. \u201cHe has not revoked the special tax immunity he gave himself and his family. He has not ended the corruption. He hit a temporary roadblock. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schumer said the first amendment he would offer during debate on Republicans\u2019 immigration and deportation bill would \u201cban Trump\u2019s slush fund permanently and revoke his family\u2019s free rein to commit tax fraud forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Michigan Governor Joins AI CEOs at Ceremony for Controversial Data Center<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The decision could end congressional gridlock over a $70 billion funding package for ICE and Border Patrol.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nGOP Senate Majority Leader Says Trump Will Withdraw \u201cAnti-Weaponization\u201d Fund - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=276\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GOP Senate Majority Leader Says Trump Will Withdraw \u201cAnti-Weaponization\u201d Fund - 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