Mike Pence condemns Trump’s $1.8 bn anti‑weaponization fund, warns GOP drift

Former Vice President Mike Pence told NBC’s Meet the Press and CBS’s Face the Nation that President Donald Trump’s second administration has moved away from the traditional conservative agenda – limited government, free‑market economics, American global leadership and the right‑to‑life – that has defined the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan. He praised Trump’s work on the border and tax cuts but said the administration’s embrace of broad tariffs, price controls and a pro‑abortion‑pill stance represents a departure from core GOP values.

Pence also attacked the Justice Department’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund, calling it “deeply offensive” and a “bad idea”. He warned that the fund could compensate people who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and urged the White House to drop the proposal entirely. “The weaponization fund is a bad idea from the start… it’s deeply offensive,” he said.

He framed these issues as a split within the party that could affect the upcoming midterm elections and the 2028 presidential cycle, noting that Republicans risk a political liability if the fund proceeds.