Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) joined Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in introducing legislation blocking President Donald Trump's "Anti-Weaponization Fund," which they deride as a "slush fund."
Trump considered creating a $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies and "January 6th" participants who were alleged to have been unfairly targeted and prosecuted, but the proposal was immediately met with criticism and backlash from both sides of the aisle.
Additionally, a Virginia judge blocked the proposal for at least two weeks, and the legal headache looks increasingly undesirable, according to White House insiders.
Nevertheless, Sen. Kelly introduced the bill ahead of the apparent reconsideration, which would not only block the establishment of the Anti-Weaponization Fund but also ban any future settlements or payments stemming from a claim or lawsuit filed by the President of the United States or the Vice President.
"Americans are struggling to make ends meet, and Trump wants to use taxpayer money to pay off his friends and allies," said Sen. Kelly in his press release. "The president's slush fund is a $1.7 billion theft in broad daylight to benefit people like the criminals who attacked Capitol police officers on January 6th. The administration's corruption is hurting hardworking families, so we're stopping it in its tracks."
Sen. Schiff echoed his sentiments, commenting, "Donald Trump's slush fund is one of the most brazenly corrupt schemes we've ever seen from a U.S. President. As Republicans return to Washington to provide further funding for this and other mistaken priorities, we're going to hold them accountable, and force a vote on this language to shut down the slush fund once and for all."
Sen. Slotkin added, "From his ballroom, to his son's crypto currency, to insider stock trading and selling pardons to the highest bidder — President Trump has used the federal government as a piggybank for himself and his allies. This so-called $1.7 billion anti-weaponization fund is an unprecedented misuse of taxpayer money, and it must be stopped. Our bill does just that. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are crying out for the President to focus on the economy and lowering their costs."
