“Of all Trump's corrupt schemes, his insurrectionist slush fund is one of the most depraved. This ruling is an important win — but the fight is far from over. Democrats will keep fighting in the courts and in Congress to make sure this $2 billion giveaway to cop beaters, criminals, and MAGA cronies never sees the light of day.
Back to stories
Federal Judge Blocks Trump's $1.8B 'Anti-Weaponization' Fund Payouts
May 29, 2026
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema (E.D. Va., Clinton appointee) issued a temporary injunction on May 29, 2026 blocking the Justice Department from transferring money to, accepting claims for, or disbursing any funds from the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" created by the Trump DOJ. A hearing to decide whether to extend the block is scheduled for June 12, 2026. The fund, announced by then-Acting AG Todd Blanche in mid-May 2026, was created to compensate people the administration claimed were targeted by the Biden DOJ — including many January 6 defendants who had assaulted law enforcement. It drew immediate and unusually fierce bipartisan backlash in Congress, with Republican senators including Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, and Ted Cruz joining Democrats in condemning it as a "slush fund" to pay "cop beaters." Cruz described a closed Senate briefing with Blanche as one of the "roughest meetings" of his Senate tenure, with "at least half" of Republicans "blasting the attorney general." The court ruling was welcomed by Democrats who called it a critical check on what they described as an unprecedented abuse of taxpayer funds. The DOJ said it was "extremely confident in the legality" of the fund and vowed to fight the injunction.
6
Statements Recorded
See what your representatives said?
6 Statements
“This slush fund represents waste, fraud, and abuse of an unprecedented magnitude and must be subjected to independent scrutiny.
“the most brazen theft of taxpayer dollars by any president in history
“the corruption and lawlessness is out of control
“fraud and highway robbery
“They must stiffen their spines, join Democrats in standing up to Trump's personal protection racket, and defend their constituents who are being stretched further every day while bankrolling billion-dollar grievances.