Senate Republicans on Thursday morning rejected an amendment from Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that would have permanently blocked the Department of Justice from establishing a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, a proposal critics across the aisle have derided as a partisan slush fund. The vote came despite assurances from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that the administration would abandon the fund.
The amendment, which sought to bar funds from being used to create or operate the fund, failed 49-50 along party lines, with three GOP senators crossing party lines to support it. All Democrats voted in favor, but the absence of Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) meant the amendment still fell one vote short of the simple majority needed for passage under budget reconciliation rules.
Republican defectors included Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and John Husted (R-Ohio), all of whom face competitive re-election battles. Their votes underscored growing unease within the GOP over the fund, which critics have labeled a tool to shield Trump allies from legal scrutiny.
The vote was held open for nearly three hours as Republican senators haggled internally over potential amendments to the broader $70 billion budget reconciliation package, which primarily funds immigration enforcement. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) threatened to join the defectors unless he secured a commitment from Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to allow a separate amendment barring the fund.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told reporters the delay stemmed from an impasse “over whether or not there can be something put into the bill that makes sure there is no weaponization fund.” Despite the internal GOP concerns, even prominent critics like Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) ultimately voted against Schumer’s amendment.
The amendment specifically targeted a proposed fund that would have drawn from the U.S. Judgment Fund, a permanent appropriation used to pay legal settlements against the federal government. Schumer’s language would have instructed the Judiciary Committee to add provisions “to safeguard the Department of Justice from partisan political influence and corruption.”
Earlier this week, Blanche told a House appropriations subcommittee that the administration would not move forward with the fund. “We are not moving forward with the fund. Period,” Blanche said, adding “correct” when pressed by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) that the fund would never be revived.
Schumer dismissed Blanche’s pledge as “worthless,” arguing that without a statutory ban, the administration could resurrect the fund at any time. The episode highlights the deep partisan distrust over the Justice Department’s independence and the lengths Democrats are willing to go to block what they see as a potential weaponization of federal resources.
For more on the growing GOP unease with Trump’s tactics, see Thune Draws Line on Trump's DNI Pick, Signals Growing GOP Unease. Meanwhile, the three GOP defectors have drawn praise from Democrats for crossing the aisle on this issue, as detailed in Three GOP Senators Cross Aisle to Block Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund.
