US Senate pushes back against Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund

The Senate delayed a vote on Immigration enforcement funds in a rare show of dissent ahead of its Memorial Day recess.Senate Republicans in the United States have punted on a vote to fund Immigration enforcement operations before a long holiday weekend, in a rare show of political backlash against President Donald Trump.On Thursday, the Republican-led chamber had planned to vote on a $72bn funding bill to help fuel Trump’s mass deportation campaign.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Poll finds nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters oppose aid to Israellist 2 of 3Five key takeaways from Democrats’ autopsy report on Kamala Harris’s losslist 3 of 3US says it has not changed its stance on sanctioning Francesca Albaneseend of listBut two recent decisions from the Trump administration led to a pushback from within the president’s own party.The first had to do with a newly unveiled “anti-weaponisation” fund that the Trump administration announced on Monday, as part of a lawsuit settlement.Trump had sued the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), part of his own government, for the actions of a contractor who leaked his tax refunds around 2019.Critics say the lawsuit posed a conflict of interest, with Trump empowered to resolve the complaint by negotiating with his own appointees.Monday’s settlement put aside nearly $1.776bn to pay recipients deemed to have been treated unfairly by the government — an “anti-weaponisation” fund that opponents say would serve as a cash cow for Trump’s supporters.Senate Republicans summoned acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to Capitol Hill on Thursday to question his decision to greenlight the settlement, which draws from Justice Department funds that ordinarily need no congressional approval.Nebraska Senator Don Bacon later indicated to reporters that the issue had shaken Trump’s Republican backing.“He’s lost some support in the Senate,” Bacon said, responding to Trump’s lawsuit. “He’s the plaintiff and the boss of the defendants. So just on the surface, it smells.”