DOJ Abides by Leonie Brinkema Ruling Blocking Trump’s $1.77B Anti-Weaponization Fund

The Department of Justice said it would abide by a federal judge’s block on a $1.77 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created as part of a settlement agreement in President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“President Donald Trump will not be going forward with the controversial$1”

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The DOJ said the fund was meant to “provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare,” and it wrote that it “will abide by the Court’s ruling” despite expressing disagreement.

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The fund’s pause intersected with Senate action on a border security funding bill, with immigration enforcement agencies left out of the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill this year and Republicans seeking a reconciliation bill to fund them through the end of Trump’s term.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the best way forward was for the administration to shut the fund down, telling reporters, “I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.”

The standoff followed a Friday order from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in the Eastern District of Virginia that blocked formation of the fund and any payouts until a June 12 hearing.

Republican backlash helped drive the administration’s shift, with the Justice Department saying Monday it would comply with Brinkema’s Friday order even while “disagrees strongly” with the ruling.

In the same period, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would force votes, writing, “This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door.”

CNN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters he expected the administration’s move to reduce the fund’s political friction, saying, “I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.”

The dispute also played out in the Senate’s reconciliation process, where Democrats planned amendments during the required “vote-a-rama,” and Republicans had punted on the nearly $72 billion budget reconciliation package ahead of the Memorial Day recess.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with senators behind closed doors before they left town, and Sen. Ted Cruz said Blanche confirmed no one who committed acts of violence would receive money.

The immediate consequence of the DOJ’s compliance was that Republicans could clear a path for passing the filibuster-proof reconciliation package, which was stalled before the Memorial Day recess over the “anti-weaponization” fund.

“The Department of Justice has chosen to abide by a federal judge’s block on an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created as part of a settlement agreement in President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in a move that could clear the way for passing a major border security funding bill”

Daily Signal

NBC News described the administration’s posture as backing off the $1.8 billion fund after rare GOP backlash, citing the Justice Department’s statement that it “disagrees strongly” with the judge’s ruling but “will abide.”

Democrats, however, continued to frame the fund as something that should be shut down in law, with Schumer saying on X, “If Trump and Republicans are truly abandoning this corrupt scheme, they should have zero problem banning it in law.”

The Hill reported that Thune tied the reconciliation bill’s prospects to the fund being “shut down,” saying, “If the administration effectively shuts it down, makes that very, very clear, then that to me should answer the question,” and predicting the package could come to the Senate floor later this week.

CNN added that the pause ordered by Brinkema barred the department from allocating money to create the fund, considering any claims, or distributing any money to applicants, keeping the dispute active through a hearing set for June 12.