Trump Threatens to Revive $1.8 Billion 'Anti-Weaponization' Fund Over Blanche Fight

President Trump said July 31 he would push to revive the roughly $1.8 billion 'Anti-Weaponization' fund if Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis continue blocking Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general, Newsweek reported. In a Truth Social post, Trump said that if the senators "aren't going to approve Todd Blanche," he would keep Blanche as acting attorney general while pushing to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill "PASSED." Hours earlier at a Camp David Cabinet meeting, Trump had called the fund "dead... but I wish it weren't."

The fund stems from a settlement of Trump's lawsuit over the IRS leak of his tax returns and is intended to compensate people Trump and allies say were unfairly targeted by politically motivated investigations under Biden. Cornyn and Tillis have withheld their votes pending written assurances the fund won't be restored; a federal judge temporarily blocked the fund in May while weighing longer-term relief sought by challengers represented by Democracy Forward.

Blanche has served as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi's departure, and his formal confirmation remains stalled amid the standoff, with a Senate Judiciary Committee vote expected the following week.