The Trump administration is expected to drop plans to compensate individuals who believe they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, top Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say — especially after the fund caused an internal revolt stalling the party’s priorities.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Tuesday it is his understanding that the Justice Department’s anti-weaponization fund is officially “off the table,” according to conversations he’s had with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Politico on Tuesday that was also his understanding.
By clarifying that expectation, Thune said he hopes it will clear the way for the Senate to vote on Republicans’ multibillion-dollar immigration funding package, which has been stalled due to opposition to the DOJ fund.
In testimony before a House appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon, Blanche confirmed “we’re not moving forward with the fund, period.”
The DOJ announced on Monday it would comply with a court order to pause the fund for two weeks, but some Republicans still demanded for it to be completely dismantled.
Blanche’s remarks are likely to determine whether Senate Republicans are comfortable enough to move forward with votes on the immigration package this week.
“I had a conversation with (Blanche) a couple hours ago, in which he sort of previewed what he was going to say, and I think his statement’s going to be very definitive, very clear, and create the certainty that I hope all of our members and House members need,” Thune said.
However, Thune did not guarantee a vote on the package this week, noting conversations are still ongoing between Republican senators and party leadership.
Sen. Curtis, other Republicans want assurances on DOJ fund
Among those questions is whether the Trump administration will attempt to reinstate the fund at a later date — and some Republicans say they need an answer before committing to go forward with the party’s top priorities.
“Is it completely eliminated?” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said on Monday. “That’s the question that I have.”
Utah Sen. John Curtis similarly expressed concerns with the fund, telling the Deseret News he wanted to ensure “this thing doesn’t move forward in its current form.” He didn’t specify what that could mean moving forward.
Still, Democrats are planning to hammer Republicans on the issue and say they will introduce amendments to the immigration funding package to ban the so-called slush fund now and in the future.
Curtis declined to say whether he would back such legislation, telling the Deseret News he would need to see specific language first. But the Utah senator didn’t close the door to implementing certain guardrails on such a fund to ensure it isn’t misused.
“There are things that probably could be done to satisfy me, as far as guardrails, but they’d have to be super robust,” Curtis said. “I think my biggest concern is: is this the way that we handle missteps by our judicial branch? I don’t think it is. I think the system is already there to handle those missteps, and I don’t think we need another system on top of it that starts with a large fund.”