Schumer, Senate Dems plan votes to block Trump’s DOJ ‘lawfare’ fund
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Y) said Monday that Democrats will push Republicans to vote for the controversial “weaponization” legal aid fund launched by President Donald Trump.
The fund, which aims to compensate victims of what the administration calls “legal fees,” has become a political flashpoint on Capitol Hill and has prompted rare Republican criticism of Trump within his political party. Democrats are now trying to force Republicans to defend the program or vote to end it.
“This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to eliminate the slush fund before a penny leaves the door,” Schumer wrote in his “Dear Colleague” letter to Senate Democrats on Monday. “And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote.”
The funding helped bring action in the Senate to a halt last month, when Republicans tried to use the budget reconciliation process to fund immigration law enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security. Some Republicans told Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a closed-door meeting that they opposed the fund when he came to Capitol Hill to announce it.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met with Trump at the White House, Johnson’s office said. MS NOW reported that the meeting was held to discuss Justice Department funding.
News later Monday stated that the White House was planning to give up the fund. Schumer said Democrats will continue their pressure.
“If Trump and the Republicans are truly abandoning this corrupt plan, they would have no problem banning it by law,” he said. send to x. “This week, Senate Democrats will introduce legislation to ban this slush fund and ensure no president can do it again. Trump’s words are not enough.”
Democrats are unlikely to be able to legally block the funding unless Republicans join them. But with less than six months until the election, they could lead to uncomfortable votes for Republicans.
A Virginia court on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from taking further action to create or distribute money from the fund.
Republicans returning to the delayed measure this week would allow Democrats to introduce unlimited amendments.
“If Republicans return to compromise, we will be ready to make the necessary changes to close the fund,” Schumer wrote in a letter to his group. he said. “If they try to cover it up, we’ll force them to go to the Senate. If they try to sneak behind the appropriations, we’ll fight them there, too.”
Critics, including Democrats, characterize the effort as a “secret fund” that could be used to pay rioters who attacked police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The funding stemmed from Trump dropping a $10 billion lawsuit he filed against the Internal Revenue Service over leaks of tax information in 2019 and 2020. In exchange for dismissing the case, the Justice Department created a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say they were victims of what the Trump administration called “statute law.”
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (DY) holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol about Senate Republicans delaying a vote on the budget reconciliation bill until May 21, 2026.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is the intent of this Department to right the wrongs that have been made while ensuring this never happens again,” Blanche said in a statement when the funding was announced.
“As part of this agreement, we are establishing a legal process for victims of law enforcement and weaponization to be heard and seek compensation,” Blanche said.
