DOJ Abides by Court Ruling Halting Trump Administration $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponisation Fund

The U.S. Department of Justice said it will abide by a federal court ruling halting the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund, which was meant to compensate people who allege unfair treatment by the federal government during previous administrations.

In a statement on Monday, the DOJ said it “disagrees strongly with the decision” made by the court, while also saying it will abide by the ruling that temporarily blocked the fund’s creation until a hearing on 12 June.

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The BBC reported that the fund was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Virginia on May 29, and that the hearing on the issue is set for June 12 after a lawsuit filed by opponents including a prosecutor who tried cases against people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

NPR added that the fund was to be created as part of a settlement between President Trump and his own Justice Department after a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS for his previously leaked tax returns, and that the judge is weighing whether to make her pause more permanent.

The DOJ’s statement on X said, “This Fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted,” and it said “The Department will abide by the Court’s ruling.”

As the DOJ signaled it would comply with the court order, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters, “I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” framing the issue as a question of whether the White House would end the effort.

The Justice Department’s position also drew a direct response from Democrats, with Chuck Schumer saying, “Senate Democrats will push legislation to ban Trump's corrupt MAGA slush fund and ensure that no president can ever do this again,” while the BBC noted Republicans and Democrats had both criticized the fund as a “slush fund” and opposed it.

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USA TODAY reported that the Trump administration signaled it is retreating from the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund after the judge temporarily ordered the administration not to take further action creating or operating the fund, including transferring federal dollars or considering claims.

Politico described the retreat as happening after a “fierce backlash from congressional Republicans,” while also noting that the White House had not stated publicly whether it would make changes or kill the fund altogether.

ABC7 Los Angeles reported that President Donald Trump told Jonathan Karl, “We are subject to the courts,” and said, “At this moment, that's what it is,” in response to the court’s temporary hold.

The court fight is scheduled to continue, with multiple outlets pointing to a June 12 hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia over whether the pause becomes permanent and whether the Justice Department can proceed with the fund.

NPR said the judge plans to hold a hearing on the issue on June 12, and it also reported that a separate judge in Florida, Kathleen Williams of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, was weighing whether to reopen Trump’s IRS case after the government announced a settlement.

In that Florida matter, NPR quoted Williams as saying she wanted to weigh whether the case amounted to deception and that the court was itself “the victim of a fraud,” and it said Williams gave Trump’s lawyers until June 12 to respond.

USA TODAY reported that the fund was announced May 18 as part of a settlement agreement in Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS seeking $10 billion in damages over leaked tax returns, and it said critics raised alarms about the fund potentially being used to funnel money to Jan. 6 defendants.

CNN reported that Trump told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, “We are subject to the courts,” and it said the DOJ statement matched the “abide by” language tied to the court’s pause until at least June 12, while Republican leaders continued pressing for clearer assurances.