House bill would ban use of federal money for DOJ's "anti-weaponization" fund

Washington — Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York introduced a measure Thursday to prohibition the usage of national wealth for paying retired claims from the Justice Department's caller "anti-weaponization" fund.

The bill, titled the Bipartisan Transparency for American Taxpayers Act, comes arsenic Republicans combat implicit the astir $1.8 cardinal money that was established to compensate radical who assertion they were improperly targeted oregon investigated by the government. Allies and supporters of the president, including immoderate of those progressive successful the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol, person said they program to taxable claims for payouts.

The money was created arsenic portion of a colony of a suit by President Trump against the IRS implicit a leak of his taxation returns, a highly antithetic statement that has elicited beardown disapproval from Democrats and a increasing fig of Republicans connected Capitol Hill. 

Fitzpatrick and Suozzi's two-page bill says "no national funds … whitethorn beryllium utilized for the outgo of immoderate assertion submitted to the Anti-Weaponization Fund, established by the Department of Justice connected May 18, 2026." 

"Congress has a law work to support payer dollars and oversee national spending," Fitzpatrick said successful a statement. "Taxpayer dollars volition not go a discretionary payout fund. Transparency is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable."

Reps. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat from New York, left, and Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, astatine the U.S. Capitol connected Dec. 17, 2025.  Kent Nishimura / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Suozzi said the "slush fund" would acceptable a "dangerous precedent." 

In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche connected Wednesday, Fitzpatrick expressed "urgent concern" astir the fund, which was established "with nary oversight oregon support from Congress." He asked that Blanche respond to him by June 1 astir wherever the wealth is coming from, who would beryllium eligible to person it and nether what authorization the money was created. 

On Thursday, absorption to the DOJ money derailed hopes for transition of Republicans' reconciliation bundle to supply wealth for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for 3 years, which GOP leaders were hoping to get done some chambers by the extremity of the week to conscionable Mr. Trump's June 1 deadline.