Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Monday that they will lift their opposition to the confirmation of Todd Blanche, the acting Attorney General, after he issued an order rescinding a controversial $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponisation fund.” The fund, which critics said would use taxpayer dollars to reward former President Donald Trump’s political allies, had stalled the nomination in the Senate.
Blanche, who has served as the Department of Justice’s interim chief, originally created the fund as part of a settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion, and the settlement included a provision that would have allowed certain Trump supporters to claim compensation for alleged persecution. The proposal drew bipartisan criticism because it appeared to reward individuals who had participated in the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
The senators had previously stated that they would not support Blanche’s confirmation without written assurance that the fund would not be pursued. After Blanche issued the rescission order the night before, Cornyn and Tillis said they would now vote to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “We want to express our gratitude to Mr Blanche and his staff for working with us on this, and we look forward to voting to advance his nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee soon,” the two senators said in a joint statement.
The Department of Justice confirmed that the order formally cancels the May 18, 2026 directive that established the fund. The statement noted that no members were appointed, no funds were transferred, no process for receiving claims was established, and no claims were paid. “This order establishes, beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund,” the DOJ said.
The confirmation of Blanche is now likely to proceed, as Republicans hold a slim majority in the Senate. The next step will be a vote in the full Senate, where the nominee will need to secure a simple majority to be confirmed. The decision to rescind the fund removes a key obstacle that had divided lawmakers and could have delayed or derailed the nomination.
