Judge extends block on $1.8B Trump 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

Key Points:

• A federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, extended a court-ordered block on the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion settlement fund intended to compensate alleged victims of a weaponized government, keeping the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" blocked until further notice.
• Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche informed Congress that the government was scrapping plans for the fund amid bipartisan backlash, but plaintiffs and the judge remain unconvinced, demanding a sworn declaration that the fund will not be revived.
• The fund, created to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns, has faced legal challenges arguing that taxpayer money cannot be diverted into what plaintiffs call a slush fund for compensating Trump’s allies.
• Despite the administration’s claims that the fund is moot, no formal rescission of the order establishing the fund has been made, and no payouts or claims have been processed as the required commission was never formed.
• The plaintiffs include a fired prosecutor, a college professor, advocacy groups, and the city of New Haven; they argue that reviving the fund would cause irreparable harm, while the judge ruled that blocking it would not harm the government if the fund is truly abandoned.