Senate Republicans delayed key budget and immigration funding votes Thursday as internal backlash over President Donald Trump’s controversial $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” intensified on Capitol Hill.
According to reporting from multiple outlets, Republican senators privately voiced serious concerns about the proposed compensation program during closed-door discussions — including questions about how it would legally operate, who would actually qualify for payouts, and whether Congress had ever formally approved a fund of that magnitude.
The fund was created through a settlement tied to Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax records and is intended to compensate individuals alleging political “weaponization” by federal agencies. However, the arrangement has triggered bipartisan criticism, with opponents warning it resembles a taxpayer-funded political “slush fund.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) acknowledged Republicans still have “a lot of questions” about the structure and oversight of the program after GOP senators met with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to seek clarification.
The agreement also bars the IRS from pursuing any additional action against Trump, members of his family, or the Trump Organization.
The meeting between Blanche and Senate Republicans ultimately failed to deliver the answers GOP leaders were hoping to get.
Rapidly escalating tensions ultimately prompted Senate Republicans to delay a vote on the proposed $70 billion Homeland Security and immigration enforcement package tied to ICE and Border Patrol funding. Several lawmakers also raised objections to a separate funding proposal connected to security measures for Trump’s planned White House ballroom project.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) compared the proposal to dropping a “bomb” on an otherwise well-structured bill “to deliver on President Trump’s priorities,” while Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) blasted the situation as a “galactic blunder,” contributing to a heated meeting and the Senate adjourning without a vote.
Other critics, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), publicly argued that taxpayer dollars should not be used to create an unaccountable fund at a time when many Americans are struggling with high living costs.
According to Semafor reporter Burgess Everett, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) directly confronted Blanche during the meeting. Individuals with firsthand knowledge of the discussion reportedly described the session as a “sh*tshow.”
The controversy intensified after Vice President JD Vance declined to explicitly rule out compensation for Jan. 6 defendants who assaulted police officers during the Capitol riot.
According to Punchbowl News, roughly 25 Republican senators spoke during Thursday’s gathering — an unusually high number for a private conference meeting — with all expressing opposition to the proposed fund.
Senators discussed several possible restrictions aimed at tightening oversight of the compensation program.
Among the proposals floated were requiring congressional approval or oversight for commissioner appointments and explicitly barring individuals convicted of assaulting police officers from receiving compensation payouts.
The tensions reportedly became so severe that one congressional reporter later posted on X that a Republican senator texted: “Our majority is melting down before our eyes.”
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