Trump Scraps $1.8 Billion Fund as Judge's Order and Bipartisan Backlash Mount
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 1
Trump Scraps $1.8 Billion Fund as Judge's Order and Bipartisan Backlash Mount
13 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 1
$1.8 billion in planned compensation for alleged victims of unfair government prosecution is being shelved after Trump privately moved toward abandoning the fund, according to people familiar with his thinking.
A federal judge's temporary order gave the administration an immediate off-ramp: the Justice Department said Monday it would halt any steps to activate the fund until at least a June 12 hearing.
Capitol Hill pressure had intensified from both parties, with critics casting the proposal as a public-benefits vehicle for Trump's political allies and some administration officials privately welcoming a way out.
The fund had emerged from a Justice Department-brokered deal tied to Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, and its retreat also eases a dispute that had complicated the GOP's immigration agenda.
How will this failed fund impact future executive settlements and the use of the federal Judgment Fund?