Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinds controversial $1.8 b. anti-weaponization fund

Acting US Attorney-General Todd Blanche has rescinded an order establishing the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, allowing for his confirmation ahead of a key Senate committee vote. The fund, created as part of a legal settlement between Trump and the US Justice Department, was aimed at compensating individuals who argued they were unfairly targeted by the federal government.

However, Republican senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had stalled Blanche's nomination over concerns about the fund, which critics saw as a potential slush fund for Trump's supporters. The Department of Justice announced the rescission of the May 18, 2026 Order that established the fund, with Blanche's statement asserting that the tax order applied retroactively.

The Republican senators had also objected to a Justice Department order barring the IRS from pursuing audits into past tax claims for Trump, his relatives, and his companies for any tax returns filed before May 18.

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