Trump anti-weaponization fund triggers furious GOP Senate hearing

Senate Republicans met with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund, which was created after President Trump agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. The fund is intended to compensate individuals who claim they were harmed by government “weaponization,” but critics warn it could be used to pay Jan. 6 rioters.

Sen. Ted Cruz described the closed‑door briefing as “one of the roughest meetings I’ve seen in my entire time in the Senate,” saying roughly half of the 45 senators present were yelling at Blanche. Cruz warned that the fund could spark a “full‑on revolt” in the Senate and may force many GOP members to side with Democrats on related ICE and Border Patrol legislation. Other Republicans, including Sen. Thom Tillis, called the fund a “payout pot for punks,” while Democrats labeled it “absurd and offensive.”

Legislators on both sides have begun drafting bipartisan measures to block the use of federal money for the anti‑weaponization fund, underscoring the deep partisan split over the proposal.