Senate Republicans are openly defying President Trump over his $1.78 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, warning that taxpayer dollars could flow to Capitol rioters while critical border security funding hangs in the balance.
The Department of Justice announced the fund earlier this week as part of a settlement dropping Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. But acting Attorney General Todd Blanche sparked outrage during Senate questioning when he confirmed that convicted Capitol rioters could access the money.
Anybody in this country will be eligible to apply.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., slammed the fund's broad eligibility criteria. "A fund that is set up to compensate people who assaulted Capitol Police officers and other responding agencies, right? People that had pled guilty to physical acts against the president may actually be able to get compensated. How absurd does that sound coming out of my mouth?"
Border Security Package in Jeopardy
The fund controversy threatens to derail a multibillion-dollar immigration package that would fund ICE and Border Patrol operations through the remainder of Trump's presidency. Senate Republicans are already grappling with a separate $1 billion request for security enhancements to Trump's "colossal ballroom," which the Senate parliamentarian stripped from the package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., previously called himself "not a big fan" of the anti-weaponization fund and questioned its purpose. "Our members have very legitimate questions about it, and we've had some conversations about, if it's going to be a feature going forward, what it might look like and how we might make sure that it's fenced in appropriately," Thune said.
Even Democrats are raising alarms. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., called it an "outrageous, unprecedented slush fund" and pressed Blanche on whether Capitol rioters would be eligible for payments.
Few Republicans are actively supporting the fund. Lawmakers are scheduled to meet with Blanche Thursday morning in a closed-door session to learn more about how the program would operate and who would oversee the distribution of funds.
The timing creates a political headache for Trump, who campaigned on border security but now faces resistance from his own party over funding priorities. The standoff could delay critical resources for immigration enforcement agencies just as the administration promises a crackdown on illegal border crossings.
