Trump administration formally kills $1.8B 'anti-weaponization fund,' tells courts cases are moot

The Trump administration has officially declared the controversial $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" dead, notifying federal courts that legal challenges to the program are now moot. This written confirmation, submitted by the Justice Department, is the first time the administration has formally stated it is abandoning the initiative.

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The equities and the public interest do not favor this court interjecting itself in a political process to shut down a fund that is already not going forward.

The fund had drawn widespread criticism and faced a temporary block from a federal judge. Senate Republicans had also rejected legislative efforts to terminate it, despite bipartisan concerns that it could function as a slush fund for allies and potentially benefit individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

In filings to judges in Washington, D.C., and Virginia, Justice Department attorneys pointed to recent statements from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who had announced the fund's termination. They argued that the cases no longer warrant judicial intervention, stating, "The equities and the public interest do not favor this court interjecting itself in a political process to shut down a fund that is already not going forward."

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The fund has been the subject of vigorous public debate. That process may seem messy. But the push-and-pull of such debate is a feature of our constitutional republic.

The department also contended that the plaintiffs in the lawsuits lacked the legal standing to challenge the fund, asserting they could not demonstrate how they were being harmed by a program that is no longer active. The Justice Department characterized the public debate surrounding the fund as a necessary part of the nation's constitutional process.

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Plaintiffs’ requested relief (shutting down the non-existent Fund) … would not remedy their claimed injury (exclusion from the non-existent Fund).