Blanche says DOJ "not moving forward" with "anti-weaponization" fund

Politics Blanche says DOJ "not moving forward" with $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund By Caitlin Yilek, Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Caitlin Yilek, Kaia Hubbard Kaia Hubbard Politics Reporter Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kaia Hubbard June 2, 2026 / 4:56 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that the Justice Department is not moving forward with its $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund that has become a major obstacle to the GOP agenda in Congress."We are not moving forward with the fund. Period," he told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee. "Not moving forward ever?" Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York asked. "Correct," Blanche responded. Meng asked whether Blanche would put that promise in writing. He responded that it would be in writing through a transcript of the hearing.Blanche's testimony comes a day after the Justice Department said it will stop work on the fund following a district judge's decision temporarily blocking the establishment of the program.The fund faced intense pushback from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who warned that it threatened to imperil the GOP agenda. Some Republicans continued to express reservations Tuesday that prevented leaders from moving forward with funding the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement agencies. Whether Blanche's testimony proves definitive enough to win over GOP detractors remains to be seen. The establishment of the fund was also part of a legal settlement, raising questions about how exactly Blanche intends to abandon the program.The fund aimed to provid...