The Justice Department announced on Monday that it will not proceed with the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund.”
“The Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund put forth by the United States District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, wherein the Court stated that, under no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed with the Anti-Weaponization Fund recently established in order to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people,” the Justice Department announced.
“This Fund was open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise. The Department will abide by the Court’s ruling,” it continued.
The Department of Justice disagrees strongly with the decision on the Anti-Weaponization Fund put forth by the United States District Court Judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, wherein the Court stated that, under no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed with…
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) June 1, 2026
More from the New York Post:
Trump was getting blowback from his party on the issue. Senate Republicans fretted that the money could be used to pay rioters from January 6th and Trump’s political allies even though people like Hunter Biden were also eligible to apply.
ADVERTISEMENTAs part of the fallout, Senate Republican leaders delayed action on a $72 billion partisan bill to fund Trump’s immigration crackdown after dozens of Republican lawmakers objected to the establishment of the fund.
Trump agreed to the fund as part of his settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit with the IRS. In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, the Justice Department was to establish the fund with the IRS and anyone who believed they were a victim of the weaponization of the federal government would be eligible to apply for financial compensation.
A district judge was looking into the fund after a group of former federal judges questioned its legitimacy. It was on a two-week pause while the legal issues were considered.
It’s unclear how this this decision will affect Trump’s settlement with the IRS.
“I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said, according to CNBC.
Watch below:
🚨 NOW: Senate Leader John Thune just said President Trump should DROP the $1.8B anti-weaponization fund if Trump wants the Border reconciliation bill to pass
THUNE: "[White House should] shut it down themselves."
This after Republicans WENT HOME on RECESS without voting on… pic.twitter.com/mEqb6yjUGD
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 1, 2026
CNBC shared further:
Axios, in its report Monday, quoted a senior administration official as saying that the fund is “dead for now.”
Punchbowl separately reported that “the administration is expected to announce that they are going to comply with the court order and not go forward on the weaponization fund.”
MS NOW soon after confirmed Axios’ report.
On Friday, a federal judge blocked the DOJ from taking any action to create or disburse money from the fund for now as a lawsuit challenging it plays out in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.
ADVERTISEMENTJudge Leonie Brinkema also scheduled a June 12 court hearing on whether to maintain the injunction against the fund.
Brinkema is overseeing one of three federal lawsuits that seek to block the fund.
What’s your opinion?
