Donald Trump is reportedly reconsidering whether to continue pursuing a $1.8bn fund intended to compensate his allies, following a wave of legal and political opposition. Multiple news outlets reported on Monday that the president may retreat from the so-called 'anti-weaponization' fund, which has faced mounting criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.
The fund, announced two weeks ago as part of a settlement in Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), has been described by the president as a means to pay victims of politicised prosecutions. However, critics have labelled it a 'Maga slush fund', pointing to a lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts to participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The terms of the fund do not require disclosure of how much is paid to whom, and administration officials have indicated that pardoned rioters could be among the recipients.
Democrats have vowed to challenge the fund in Congress. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it 'Trump's most brazen act of self-dealing yet' and said Senate Democrats would force a vote on a measure to block payments. 'If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,' Schumer wrote in a letter to colleagues. 'There will be no escape hatch.'
Legal setbacks have also hampered the fund. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia temporarily blocked the transfer of money from the fund on Friday, after Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit to dissolve it. Meanwhile, some Republicans have expressed alarm. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters, 'I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.'
Former Vice-President Mike Pence described the possibility of compensating Capitol rioters as 'deeply offensive', adding that he believed this view was 'broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans'. Several states, including California, Illinois, New York and Connecticut, have proposed taxes on any distributions from the fund to their residents.
