Blanche scraps Trump’s $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund'
(CNN) — Two key Senate Republicans said Monday they will back Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, after he rescinded the president’s “anti-weaponization” fund.
Blanche’s order late Sunday formally rescinding the president’s $1.8 billion fund ended an impasse with the senators, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, who threatened to block his nomination over the controversial agreement.
“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche posted on X. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement.”
Blanche, who is serving as acting chief of the Justice Department, attached an order dated Sunday to his post that said, “The Attorney General’s May 18, 2026 Order establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund (‘Fund’) is rescinded and shall have nor force or effect.”
The controversial fund — created as part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit from Trump against the IRS — was at the center of resistance to Blanche’s nomination from Cornyn and Tillis, who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The senators said in a joint statement Monday they were “pleased” with Blanche’s order and they “look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.”
Blanche had already said the fund was “dead,” and the Justice Department told courts the program was abandoned, but officials have previously declined to put the commitment in writing. The fund would have offered taxpayer money to people who claimed they were victims of weaponization by the federal government — including those involved with the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot.
The document released Sunday also limits the addendum to that agreement that offers the president and members of his family immunity from tax investigations — a sticking point for Cornyn. The senator wanted Blanche to explicitly acknowledge that it applies only to past tax investigations against the president and those listed in the IRS lawsuit.
The Sunday order says the measure “applies by its terms only retroactively” and that it applies only to “the named parties in the lawsuit” referenced in the agreement.
Tillis and Cornyn said in their statement that the acknowledgement addressed “concerns that multiple of our Republican colleagues share.”
The settlement agreement is a contract between the Justice Department and Trump. The document released Sunday was notably signed only by Blanche, but not by Trump or his personal lawyers.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote Tuesday on Blanche’s nomination, meaning he could be confirmed before the chamber leaves for a five-week recess.
Blanche’s announcement comes after a week of uncertainty over his confirmation to the attorney general role. Trump on Thursday threatened to temporarily pull the nomination amid the resistance from Tillis and Cornyn, and renominate Blanche after they leave the Senate next year. The senators met privately with Blanche Thursday afternoon, and three sources familiar with the matter previously told CNN they made progress, though they did not reach a deal.
The president said Cornyn and Tillis were “both upset because I wouldn’t endorse them.” Cornyn lost his primary this spring to Trump-backed firebrand Ken Paxton. Tillis, a frequent Trump critic, decided last year not to run for reelection.
The demands left Blanche in a difficult place, since putting limits on the tax addendum could anger the president.
Trump then said Saturday he would push to get the “anti-weaponization” fund passed into law if he couldn’t garner the support in the Senate to confirm Blanche, his former personal lawyer. Tillis responded to that threat by saying Blanche, “who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal.”
Just hours before Blanche’s Sunday announcement, Trump defended the controversial “anti-weaponization” fund and reiterated that if the Senate doesn’t confirm Blanche, he will put the idea “back on the table.”
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the fund “would be a reimbursement for the pain” his supporters and allies who would be eligible for the fund “suffered.”
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on Blanche’s order.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
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