Trump's attorney general pick reaches deal with senators over 'anti-weaponization fund'

Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche issued a formal order on Sunday night ending Donald Trump's $1.8bn 'anti-weaponization fund', a program designed to compensate the president's political allies. The move came after weeks of negotiations with two Republican senators who had been blocking his nomination to serve as attorney general.

Blanche had repeatedly insisted publicly that the fund was no longer active, but the justice department had not put that commitment in writing, prompting concerns among lawmakers that it could be revived. The office of Texas senator John Cornyn, one of the holdouts, confirmed the agreement; senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina did not immediately respond.

The announcement clears the way for a Senate judiciary committee vote scheduled for Tuesday. In a post on X, Blanche said his team had met with senators over the past several weeks and addressed outstanding questions, and that the order came after good-faith discussions.

The order explicitly rescinds the May 18, 2026 directive that created the fund. It also narrows a separate provision from the settlement that had given Trump and his family members broad immunity from tax audits. Under the amended language, that immunity applies only retroactively to claims that were already open at the time, and does not shield the president from future tax examinations.

In other developments:

• Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vocal vaccination skeptic, urged parents to get their children vaccinated against measles as the US faces an outbreak not seen in 35 years.
• Trump said he called off planned military strikes against Iran because he expects a rapid deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Democratic representative Marcy Kaptur was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a car crash in Toledo, Ohio, on Sunday.
• Republican senator Bernie Moreno called on Representative Max Miller, his former son-in-law, to resign over allegations of domestic and child abuse.
• The family of a Haitian immigrant who died after being dropped off by immigration authorities at a Pittsburgh bus stop in early March plans to file suit against the US government and other entities.