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President Donald Trump is backing away from plans for a controversial $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” after facing mounting opposition from congressional Republicans, according to people familiar with the decision.
White House officials informed top Republicans on Capitol Hill of the move Monday, the sources said, signaling a potential end to a fund that had become a major obstacle to advancing the GOP’s immigration enforcement agenda.
The Justice Department, which was slated to administer the fund, also indicated Monday that it would comply with a federal court order temporarily halting implementation. A federal judge in Virginia on Friday blocked any payouts or further steps to establish the program while legal challenges proceed.
Neither the White House nor the Justice Department has publicly announced whether the fund will be permanently scrapped, modified, or revived at a later date.
The fund emerged as a flashpoint in Congress after the Justice Department announced its creation in May. Critics argued it could be used to compensate Trump allies who claimed they were unfairly targeted by previous administrations, including individuals prosecuted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The controversy helped derail a planned Senate vote on a major Republican immigration enforcement package before the Memorial Day recess.
Democrats seized on the issue, pledging to force politically difficult amendment votes tied to the fund. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats labeled the proposal a taxpayer-funded “MAGA slush fund.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested Monday that Republicans could move forward if the administration clearly abandons the proposal.
“If the administration effectively shuts it down — makes that very, very clear — then that, to me, should answer the question hopefully, at least for most Republicans,” Thune told reporters.
However, he added that lawmakers want assurances the administration will not attempt to revive the fund later.
“That would be the ideal outcome,” Thune said.
The Justice Department defended the fund in a statement Monday but did not address whether it would continue pursuing the initiative. A hearing in the Virginia lawsuit is scheduled for June 12, while several other legal challenges remain pending.
When asked about the fund’s future, the White House referred reporters to the DOJ statement. An administration official offered a more ambiguous assessment, saying, “How dead it is is what’s being worked on.”
A Senate GOP leadership aide said the DOJ’s response appeared to acknowledge concerns surrounding the program and suggested changes may be necessary.
Behind the scenes, White House officials have been discussing the fund with Republican leaders for weeks. Thune confirmed Monday that he had been in contact with administration officials about the issue.
President Trump also met Monday with House Speaker Mike Johnson in the Oval Office. According to multiple sources, Johnson raised concerns about the political viability of the fund, particularly as Senate Republicans struggled to secure enough votes to advance the immigration package.
The fund was originally established as part of a settlement involving Trump’s lawsuit against the federal government over the disclosure of his tax returns. Justice Department officials argued that the money would come from an existing congressional appropriation used to settle legal claims against the federal government.
DOJ leaders have pointed to previous settlements involving politically sensitive cases, including payments to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who each received $1.25 million after claiming they were unfairly targeted by federal investigators.
Associate Attorney General Stan Woodward previously argued that the fund would provide greater oversight because decisions on payouts would be made by a five-member panel rather than a single government official.
“I already have the authority to settle any claim that is brought against the United States of America,” Woodward said last month.
Still, opposition from both Democrats and Republicans has put the fund’s future in serious doubt, with congressional leaders now pressing the administration to formally abandon the proposal before moving ahead with other legislative priorities.
