The Justice Department had withdrawn the controversial plan after backlash from lawmakers and lawsuits.
Published June 12, 2026
A U.S. federal judge has indefinitely blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund plan. The fund aims to provide payments to people who have experienced alleged “legislation” and “weaponization” by the government.
Friday’s ruling marks another setback for the planhas faced fierce resistance from lawmakers and was previously rescinded by the Justice Department..
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Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia last week ordered the funds to be suspended and issued a preliminary injunction that was set to expire Friday.
The fund is the result of a settlement between President Trump and the Department of Justice over a $10 billion lawsuit filed by the president against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The Justice Department had set up a $1.776 billion fund, led by a five-member commission, that would distribute the money to people Trump deemed victims of “use of arms,” a term used to describe investigations and criminal cases against him and his allies.
Attorney General Todd Blanche withdrew the plan earlier this month after mounting criticism, but government lawyers argue that lawsuits challenging the plan are no longer relevant.
Even before the administration announced the end of the fund, no money was paid and no claims were accepted because the Justice Department did not establish a five-member committee to determine payment standards.
Although many of the Republican president’s supporters oppose compensation for the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Blanche did not rule out in May that the Capitol rioters who carried out the violence could be eligible to apply for payments from the fund.
President Trump issued a slew of pardons to Capitol rioters on his first day back in the White House last year. More than 1,500 people were charged in the January 6 attack, until President Trump wiped out all cases in an act of sweeping clemency.
Plaintiffs who filed suit to block the plan say it misappropriated taxpayer money for what was essentially a slush fund and have expressed doubts about Mr. Blanche’s assurances that the fund will not move forward.
Although the administration has distanced itself from the project, Trump himself does not support canceling it and continues to discuss it positively in comments to the press.
