Overview
- The closed-door briefing that senators described on Friday erupted into shouting as many Republican senators angrily confronted Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the administration’s $1.7–$1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
- The fund was announced after President Trump dropped his $10 billion IRS lawsuit and would be paid from the DOJ Judgment Fund and run by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general with authority to award apologies and monetary relief through Dec. 15, 2028.
- Senators objected that the deal looks like self-dealing, warned it could allow payments to some Jan. 6 defendants, and said the proposal forced lawmakers to pause a planned vote on ICE and Border Patrol funding.
- Bipartisan legal and legislative resistance has followed, including lawsuits from former Capitol officers and court filings by nearly 100 House Democrats, plus bills from Republicans and Democrats seeking to bar or limit use of federal money for the program.
- With senators threatening to join Democrats to change or block the plan, the outcome when the Senate returns on June 1 will shape short-term votes, GOP unity ahead of the midterms, and possible revisions or legal rulings on the fund; the White House has welcomed feedback and President Trump has defended the settlement.