A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt work on its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” legal fund, which opponents have dubbed a “slush fund” for the president’s allies.
District judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia said in a filing on Friday that the government must temporarily stop taking any actions linked to the fund, including transferring money to or from it or considering any claims submitted to it.
The order pauses the fund’s operations while a court considers a legal challenge over the fund, which was filed last week by a group of people including some who said they had been “targeted by the Trump-Vance administration as ideological or political opponents”.
The lawsuit says the fund is unlawful and should be dismantled. It alleges that money from the fund is unlikely to be made available to those who say they were victims of improper use of power by the Trump administration.
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It “rewards and incentivises unlawful behaviour and facilitates an astounding abuse of taxpayer funds”, plaintiffs said.
The $1.8 billion fund is for those who claim to have been unfairly targeted by US authorities. It was created as part of a settlement of Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. It also granted the president, his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr and the Trump organisation immunity from existing IRS tax audits.
The lawsuit says the fund is unlawful and should be dismantled. It is led by Andrew Floyd, a former prosecutor who says the Trump administration fired him because he had brought cases against rioters in the January 6th 2021 uprising. Other plaintiffs include a professor arrested while protesting against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) immigration raid.
A hearing in the case is set for June 12th.
The fund, which if enacted could divert taxpayers’ cash to Trump’s allies, has attracted a fierce backlash from Democrats and even some Republicans, stoking tensions with the White House.
Senate Republican leader John Thune said last week that “a lot of members” were concerned about the fund.
Not only are some lawmakers unhappy that the money could be directed to the president’s political allies, but they are also displeased that Trump is focusing on retribution for prosecutions that occurred during Joe Biden’s presidency. Instead, they would like him to be concentrating on cost-of-living issues that are most important to US voters and could endanger the party’s control of Congress in the November midterm elections.
Democrats welcomed the court ruling. “Of all Trump’s corrupt schemes, his insurrectionist slush fund is one of the most depraved,” Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, wrote on X.
“This ruling is an important win – but the fight is far from over. Democrats will keep fighting in the courts and in Congress to make sure this $2 billion giveaway to cop beaters, criminals, and Maga cronies never sees the light of day,” he said.
The IRS settlement agreement, which outlines details of the $1.8 billion fund, defines lawfare and weaponisation as the use of power by “Democrat elected officials, political and career federal employees, contractors, and agents” to improperly target people and groups. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026
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