The U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday issued a formal order terminating President Donald Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” removing a major hurdle ahead of his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation vote.
The move follows weeks of negotiations with two Republican senators who were blocking his nomination to become attorney general.
While Blanche has repeatedly said publicly that the fund was dead, the justice department had resisted formally confirming that in writing.
That had drawn concern from lawmakers that it could be revived in some form, especially after Trump expressed continued support for the idea.
A spokesperson for Texas Senator John Cornyn, one of the senators holding up Blanche’s nomination, confirmed the agreement.
The other GOP senator, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, did not have immediate comment on the matter.
“My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche said in a post on X. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order.”
The order says that “although the acting attorney general has repeatedly advised Congress through testimony, including under oath, as well as in written responses, that the Fund is not moving forward, and the Department has repeatedly represented to district courts that the Fund is not moving forward, today’s Order officially rescinds the May 18, 2026 Order.”
The document released by Blanche on Sunday night also limits the scope of another provision of the settlement that provided broad immunity for Trump and members of his family from tax audits. It clarifies that the tax audit immunity agreement “applies only retroactively” to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.
As reported by The Guardian, the two sides have been negotiating for weeks, but Trump has said repeatedly during the talks that he thinks the fund should go forward.
Notably, the announcement comes ahead of a Senate judiciary committee vote on Blanche, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
