The Justice Department’s agreement to temporarily pause its anti-weaponization fund marks a rare retreat from President Donald Trump’s White House as a legal challenge unfolds and opposition from congressional Republicans threatens to blow up a party-line budget bill.The department’s Monday announcement that it would “abide by” a court order pausing the creation and operation of the $1.776 billion fund comes after significant GOP pushback and is a rare, if only temporary, political loss for Trump on Capitol Hill as tensions grow with Senate Republicans.The judge’s ruling halted the operation of the fund only until June 12, when the next court hearing on the matter is scheduled. However, a Senate leadership aide told the Washington Examiner that leadership views the DOJ’s statement as a walk-back of the fund and an acknowledgment by the administration that it’s essentially unworkable among Senate Republicans. Uproar over the fund’s creation, in addition to the inclusion of money for White House security upgrades, had already derailed Republican leadership’s plans to pass a second GOP-led reconciliation bill ahead of the president’s June 1 deadline before Congress recessed for Memorial Day last month.
Trump backs off anti-weaponization fund amid Senate opposition
The Justice Department said it would abide by a court order pausing the creation of the nearly $1.8 billion fund.











