RismadarVoice Reporters
May 29, 2026
A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund following a lawsuit filed by a former January 6 prosecutor and other individuals who claimed the initiative lacked legal backing.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia issued the order on Friday, preventing the administration from taking further action on the fund while the court considers pending legal challenges.
The controversial fund was established as part of a settlement involving President Donald Trump, members of his family and the Trump Organisation.
Critics, including both Democrats and Republicans, have described the initiative as a potential political “slush fund” intended to benefit Trump allies and individuals who claimed they were unfairly targeted by previous government investigations.
Under the court order, the Trump administration is barred from transferring money into the fund, reviewing claims, or disbursing any payments until legal proceedings are concluded.
The judge stated that the temporary restriction was necessary to ensure that “no funds are irreversibly disbursed” before the legality of the programme is fully reviewed.
A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for June 12.
The fund is reportedly being managed through the U.S. Department of Justice, although the department declined immediate comment following the ruling.
Democracy Forward, the advocacy group leading the legal challenge, welcomed the decision, describing it as a victory for transparency and constitutional accountability.
The group’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Skye Perryman, said the court recognised “the urgent need to prevent taxpayer dollars from being distributed through a secretive and unprecedented political compensation scheme.”
“No administration has the authority to spend public money through a political rewards programme that Congress never authorised,” Perryman stated.
Questions have also been raised over the management and oversight of the fund, with legal experts expressing concern about the lack of transparency surrounding its operations.
The process for applying for compensation has not yet formally begun because commissioners responsible for administering the fund have not yet been appointed.
However, several individuals who claim they were targeted by previous federal investigations have reportedly already sought access to the money.
Among the plaintiffs is Andrew Floyd, a former prosecutor in the now-disbanded Capitol Siege Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Floyd, who prosecuted cases linked to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot before his dismissal in July, accused the administration of attempting to reward political allies while targeting former law enforcement officials involved in the investigations.
“The president’s targeting of me and others involved in January 6 prosecutions leaves our country in a very dark place,” Floyd stated in court filings.
He warned that such actions could send a dangerous signal that attacks on democratic institutions would be tolerated if carried out in support of the administration.
The legal dispute comes after President Trump issued mass pardons to about 1,500 individuals linked to the January 6 Capitol riot shortly after returning to office.
The administration has also reportedly begun removing Justice Department news releases related to January 6 prosecutions from official government websites, describing them as “partisan propaganda.”
The proposed fund is currently facing additional lawsuits in Washington as legal scrutiny over its structure and purpose intensifies.
