JUDGE EXTENDS BLOCK ON TRUMP'S $1.8BN ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND

A US federal judge extended a court-ordered block on the Trump administration's $1.8bn "Anti-Weaponization Fund" on Friday. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that the fund will remain blocked pending further court orders. The judge gave both parties one week to negotiate an agreement requiring Todd Blanche, the acting US attorney general, to submit a sworn declaration that the administration will not revive the fund. Blanche previously told Congress that the government was abandoning plans for the fund following significant bipartisan opposition.

The Trump administration established the fund to resolve litigation against the Internal Revenue Service concerning the leak of the President's tax returns. Government attorneys argued that lawsuits challenging the fund are now moot given the stated abandonment of the scheme. However, plaintiffs' lawyers expressed scepticism about these assurances and continued to pursue the legal block. Judge Brinkema's order extended a temporary block that was set to expire on Friday, originally imposed for a minimum of two weeks following her 29 May decision.

Plaintiffs challenging the fund contended that the government cannot legally redirect taxpayer money into what they characterise as a mechanism for compensating the President's allies. The indefinite extension of the court block ensures the fund cannot operate whilst legal proceedings continue. The requirement for a sworn declaration from Blanche represents an attempt to obtain formal documentation of the administration's stated position on the fund's future.