President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to revive his controversial plan for federal payouts to people he says were “badly treated” by the Obama and Biden administrations, telling senators that he would “push hard” for legislation to fund the payments if they did not confirm his nominee for attorney general.
If the Senate does not confirm Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination, he will stay in his current acting role, President Donald Trump said on Saturday, adding that he would also push Congress to codify a proposed anti-weaponization
fund that could help his allies. Trump has said as recently as Friday that the $1.8 billion fund was dead.
Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have held up Blanche’s nomination while seeking written assurances that the Justice Department will not set up the fund, which Trump critics have derided as a slush fund to reward supporters with taxpayer money.
President Donald Trump vowed on Saturday to bypass the Senate and keep Todd Blanche as acting attorney general while aggressively pushing to pass a controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, escalating a high-stakes political showdown with Republican senators over nominations and tax settlements.
The political stalemate centers on Senate opposition to Todd Blanche’s permanent nomination to lead the Justice Department. Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have blocked Blanche’s confirmation, demanding written assurances that the administration will not establish a proposed payout program designed to compensate individuals who claim they were targeted by federal investigations.
Truth Social Post Escalates Conflict With Republican Senators
In a Saturday morning post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Blanche one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country
and said that if Cornyn and Tillis won’t support the nomination, then he would push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill … PASSED.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized both lawmakers, attributing their opposition to personal grievances while vowing to bypass full Senate approval if necessary.
“If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General, then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED,” Trump wrote.
Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT Trump
Trump said Cornyn and Tillis were both upset because I wouldn't Endorse them.
Cornyn lost his primary this spring to Trump-backed Ken Paxton. Tillis, a frequent Trump critic, decided last year not to run for reelection.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a nomination vote on Tuesday. Tillis, whose term ends in January, wrote on Saturday that Blanche would not be confirmed because of Trump’s reversal, although he hoped that the matter could be resolved by Tuesday.
“Despite comments as late as yesterday that the fund is dead, President Trump clearly intends to resurrect the payout pot for punks either by inappropriately establishing another bogus fund or pushing Congress to vote for a bill that the majority of Republicans in the Senate would be against,” Tillis posted on X.
Cornyn’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Acting Status and Future Senate Strategy
Despite the standoff, Blanche may not need Senate confirmation to serve out Trump’s term. Acting officials can serve as long as their nomination is pending in the Senate and is not formally rejected or withdrawn. Trump has previously said that he can resubmit Blanche’s nomination.
Trump’s message could further complicate Blanche’s chances of being confirmed, as Cornyn and Tillis have indicated they’ll withhold their needed votes until they get written assurances that the fund won’t be resurrected, along with certain commitments.
Tillis responded to Trump’s post Saturday, saying that Blanche, who I consider qualified for the job, will not be confirmed because of this reversal.
Trump’s Saturday statement escalates a high-stakes political showdown with members of his own party on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel was forced to delay a scheduled vote on Blanche’s nomination after Cornyn, a pivotal vote on the committee, announced he was not prepared to support the pick without an agreement in writing.
Cornyn and Tillis, both leaving office next year, have demanded explicit written modifications spelling a final end to the controversial anti-weaponization fund
— a nearly $1.8 billion program to pay individuals claiming political persecution.
Negotiations between officials and Senate staff remain ongoing as lawmakers review positions ahead of the scheduled Tuesday committee vote.
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