News24 | Republican rebellion kills Trump’s $1.776 billion ‘weaponisation’ fund

US President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of alleged government “weaponisation” has been put on hold after the White House faced fierce opposition from Republicans in Congress, three sources familiar with the plan said on Monday.

The rare rebuke of Trump ‌demonstrated some Republicans’ increased willingness to flex their political power against the president, particularly after his endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn ahead of a crucial midterm election.

The proposal was dropped as senators returned to Washington after their Memorial Day break and faced an impasse with the president over a $72 billion bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol operations.

Speaking to reporters, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he made clear to the White House the fund needed to be killed.

“They gave us an ultimatum,” a White House source said, describing how Republican lawmakers negotiated with the White House over the fund.

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The White House’s goal is to speed passage of the funding package, said the source, who, like other sources, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The Republican ⁠rebellion was an extraordinary act of defiance given Trump’s insistence on loyalty and his threats to back primary candidates against those who do not toe the line.

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The fund emerged from a legal settlement between Trump and the Justice Department to resolve an unprecedented $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the alleged mishandling of his tax records.

The $1.776 billion was meant to pay people who said they had been the subject of government abuse.

The fund sparked swift legal challenges and political uproar, including from Senate Republicans, who expressed anger that people who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 could receive taxpayer-funded payouts.

On Friday, federal judges in Virginia and Florida issued orders that temporarily halted the fund until 12 June and called for further review, respectively.

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In a statement on Monday, a Justice Department spokesperson said the DOJ “disagrees strongly” with thos