A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s plan to establish a fund worth nearly $1.8 billion. President Donald Trump had described the fund as a way to compensate individuals who were allegedly victims of the government’s “weaponization” of power for political purposes.
On Friday (May 29), Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered that the Trump administration may take “no further action” to create or operate the fund until additional court proceedings are completed.
According to Reuters, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the creation of the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” last week. The initiative was part of a settlement in Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the leak of his tax records.
The proposed $1.776 billion fund was to be overseen by a five-member commission. The commission would provide compensation to individuals who could demonstrate that they had been victims of “lawfare” or political “weaponization.”
Trump and his allies have long used these terms to describe the investigations and criminal cases brought against them.
Meanwhile, a group claiming to have been targeted by the Trump-Vance administration because of their political and ideological views filed a lawsuit challenging the fund. They argued that they would not be eligible to receive any compensation under the program.
