Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have filed an amicus brief urging a federal court to maintain its block on the Justice Department's $1.7 billion "anti-weaponization fund." The senators argue the fund poses an "immediate and dire threat" to the constitutional order and Congress' authority over federal spending. The brief contends the fund violates the Spending, Appropriations, and Appointments Clauses and could financially compensate individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The fund originated from a settlement of former President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the IRS. A federal judge temporarily halted the fund in May, and the senators' brief argues the court should uphold that block. Cassidy, who lost a Trump-backed primary runoff last month, and Booker claim the fund undermines Congress' constitutional authority and could subsidize attacks on democratic processes.
The Justice Department announced the fund last month as part of a deal to settle Trump's lawsuit. The senators' brief warns that the fund's existence "strikes at the core of Congressional authority" and that using public funds to compensate rioters would "subsidize an attack on that government's most fundamental processes." The case is currently being litigated in Virginia.