Politics

Two GOP Senators Back Blanche for AG After $1.776B Fund Termination

The conditional support from Cornyn and Tillis illustrates how individual senators can use committee leverage to extract written policy concessions from executive branch nominees before...

The Congressional Times · August 3, 2026

Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced Monday they will vote to advance Todd Blanche's Attorney General nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, citing Blanche's formal termination of a $1.776 billion fund established earlier in 2026 for individuals who alleged government weaponization, according to a statement reported by the New York Post on August 3, 2026. The two senators had previously withheld their support pending written assurances on two specific issues.

In a joint statement attributed to both senators and reported by the New York Post, Cornyn and Tillis stated: 'From the outset, we were clear that we needed a written document addressing our concerns on the IRS audit agreement and the anti-weaponization fund.' The statement confirmed that Blanche's written termination of the fund satisfied the condition they had set for their committee votes. The source document underlying the fund's termination is a formal DOJ administrative action; the full text of that termination order has not been independently published as of this report's date of August 3, 2026.

The anti-weaponization fund had been created earlier in 2026 under the Department of Justice. Its precise legal authority, the specific disbursement criteria, and how much, if any, of the $1.776 billion had been distributed before termination are not detailed in available public records as of this writing. A DOJ budget justification filing or a USASpending.gov disbursement record would be the documents most likely to reveal actual expenditures from the fund prior to its termination.

Blanche, who previously served as a defense attorney representing Donald Trump in federal criminal proceedings, was named acting DOJ chief before the formal nomination process advanced. His Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation vote has not yet been publicly scheduled as of August 3, 2026, according to the Senate Judiciary Committee's published hearing calendar. A full Senate floor vote would follow a successful committee vote, per standard Senate confirmation procedure under Senate Rule XXXI.

What remains unknown includes the full vote count of Judiciary Committee members committed for or against the Blanche nomination, the precise statutory basis under which the anti-weaponization fund was originally created, and whether any disbursements were made before its termination. Senate Judiciary Committee roll call records and the DOJ's administrative termination order, once published, would answer those questions.

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