Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a formal order on Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, terminating President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, which was designed to compensate Trump’s political allies. This decision came after prolonged negotiations with two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who had been blocking Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general.

John Cornyn confirmed the agreement ahead of a scheduled confirmation vote for Blanche in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, August 5th, 2026. Blanche had previously stated at a June hearing that the Justice Department would not proceed with the fund, amid bipartisan outrage over concerns that violent rioters who attacked police at the U.S. Capitol might be compensated.

Cornyn and Tillis, both Judiciary Committee members, insisted on seeing a written commitment to end the fund before endorsing Blanche’s nomination, especially as Trump continued to publicly support the fund’s creation. Blanche described the order as the result of “good faith discussions” and noted that his team had met with committee members and senators over several weeks to address concerns and questions.

In a statement accompanying the order, the Justice Department clarified that although Blanche had repeatedly testified under oath and provided written responses to Congress affirming that the fund was not moving forward, this order officially rescinds the May 18, 2026 order that had established the fund. The department emphasized that since the settlement of the president’s lawsuit against the IRS was announced, no members were appointed, no funds transferred, no claims process established, and no claims paid, confirming unequivocally that the fund no longer exists.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had postponed a vote on Blanche’s nomination, originally scheduled for Thursday morning, after Tillis and Cornyn requested more information from the administration before providing the necessary votes. The senators have repeatedly stated that while the Justice Department appeared interested in reaching an agreement, the White House was unwilling to make concessions to facilitate the confirmation of Blanche, a loyal former personal attorney to Trump who has aggressively pursued the administration’s priorities as acting attorney general.

Sources