Three Democratic senators introduced legislation Monday to block the Trump administration's controversial 'anti-weaponization' fund, just hours after the Justice Department abandoned the $1.776 billion initiative amid legal setbacks.
The bill, named the Drain the Slush Fund Act, would prohibit taxpayer money from being used for payments to President Trump, his associates, individuals convicted of crimes, or those involved in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. It also restricts the DOJ's settlement fund, barring settlements or payments from lawsuits brought by a sitting president or vice president, retroactive to Trump's second inauguration.
The DOJ scrapped the fund Monday after federal judges in Virginia and Florida temporarily blocked payouts and reopened Trump's lawsuit against the IRS, respectively. The department said on social platform X that it 'disagrees strongly' with the ruling by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema but would comply.
Bipartisan Backlash
When acting Attorney General Todd Blanche unveiled the fund last month, lawmakers from both parties criticized it. Democrats condemned it as a 'slush fund' for January 6 participants, while some Republicans—including Senate Republicans who grilled Blanche during a May 21 meeting—voiced similar concerns.
Sen. Mark Kelly called the fund 'theft in broad daylight,' Sen. Adam Schiff described it as 'one of the most brazenly corrupt schemes we’ve ever seen from a U.S. president,' and Sen. Elissa Slotkin said it represented 'an unprecedented misuse of taxpayer money.'
Personal Stakes for Sponsors
The trio of sponsors has personal experience with alleged government overreach. Earlier this year, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro unsuccessfully sought a grand jury indictment against Kelly, Slotkin, and four House Democrats for recording a video urging military members and intelligence officers to refuse illegal orders. Kelly, a retired Navy captain, is also fighting the Pentagon’s effort to reduce his rank over the video. Schiff was the subject of a DOJ probe into alleged mortgage fraud last year.
'As Republicans return to Washington to provide further funding for this and other mistaken priorities, we’re going to hold them accountable, and force a vote on this language to shut down the slush fund once and for all,' Schiff said in a statement. 'Americans see the cost of this corruption coming out of their own pockets.'
He added: 'And as Senators who have actually seen their government weaponized against them, we want to make it clear: we will not allow a single payout from this so-called weaponization fund to be paid.'
The legislation comes amid broader Republican resistance to the fund. GOP Rep. Kat Cammack slammed the $1.8 billion 'slush fund' as scrapped after backlash, and Senate Republican Whip John Thune pressed the White House to scrap it. The fund's collapse marks a rare defeat for an administration that has aggressively pursued what it calls anti-weaponization efforts.
