June 1 (UPI) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Democrats will force a vote on the Trump administration’s Anti-Weaponization Fund, seeking to block it.
Schumer said Democrats will have amendments ready to stop the nearly $1.8 billion fund the Department of Justice introduced to pay Jan. 6 rioters.
“This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door,” Schumer wrote in a letter to Senate Democrats. “And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote. If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down. If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there too.”
Some Republicans have proposed adding restrictions to the fund. As it is written, there are no clear oversight mechanisms and the Justice Department has not provided details on the process of reviewing claims and making payments.
The fund has been challenged in court as unconstitutional for circumventing congressional approval and offering to pay people who took “seditious” actions against the United States.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia temporarily blocked the Justice Department from moving forward with the fund on Friday.
The Senate is facing a $72 billion budget reconciliation package that would fund immigration enforcement efforts through 2029. The Senate recessed for Memorial Day without any action on the package taking place.
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