Trump Defends $1.8B Fund Amid Opposition
PHOTO CAPTION: U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement during an event at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 30, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
WASHINGTON, July 31 — President Donald Trump defended his proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund Friday as opposition from two Republican senators continued to delay Todd Blanche’s confirmation as U.S. attorney general.
“Todd Blanche, a good man, should be immediately approved as U.S. Attorney General,” Trump wrote on social media.
His statement came one day after he threatened to withdraw Blanche’s nomination until next year, when the terms of the two opposing senators end.
Trump also continued to defend the proposed fund.
“I will always feel that these victims of government abuse should be paid back for what they were forced to endure, their lives have been ruined!” he wrote.
Republican Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have held up Blanche’s nomination while seeking written assurances that the Justice Department will not establish the program.
Trump’s critics have described the fund as a way to reward political supporters with taxpayer money.
Cornyn and Tillis were closer to reaching an agreement after meeting with Blanche late Thursday, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity.
Blanche has also met with Republican Senator John Curtis.
Despite the confirmation dispute, Blanche may be able to continue serving as acting attorney general for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Acting officials can remain in office while their nominations are pending in the Senate, provided the nominations are not formally rejected or withdrawn.
The proposed fund was created as part of a legal settlement between Trump and the Justice Department intended to resolve his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.
Trump accused the IRS of mishandling his tax records.
The program was later put on hold after congressional Republicans raised objections.
The fund could benefit Trump allies who say the federal government unfairly targeted them over their involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol following Trump’s 2020 election loss.
Cornyn said Thursday that he was waiting for the Justice Department to formalize its assurance that the fund would not be implemented.
Cornyn and Tillis have also objected to a proposed IRS agreement that would prevent tax audits of Trump and his associates.
Trump said Friday that the fund would not benefit him personally.
He said it would instead help what he called “great American Patriots who were hunted down like dogs and whose lives were unfairly and illegally destroyed.”
(Source: Reuters)
