Federal Judge Blocks Trump's $1.8 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund
A court injunction halting the fund before disbursement creates a test case for executive spending authority that Congress has not explicitly authorized.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on June 12, 2026, blocking the Trump administration from establishing a $1.8 billion fund it had designated the 'Anti-Weaponization Fund,' according to a report by ABC News citing the court order. The injunction prevents the administration from moving forward with fund creation or disbursements while litigation proceeds.
The fund, as described in administration materials cited in the ABC News report, was presented as a mechanism to support individuals and entities the administration contends were targeted by prior government investigative or prosecutorial actions. The court's injunction does not constitute a final ruling on the merits; it reflects a judicial determination that the plaintiffs demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits and risk of irreparable harm absent the block, which are the two primary legal standards for preliminary injunctive relief under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65.
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The legal challenge centers on whether the executive branch has the statutory authority to create and disburse a fund of this size without a specific congressional appropriation, a question rooted in the Appropriations Clause of Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that 'no money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.' Congressional Budget Office records available through Congress.gov do not reflect a line-item appropriation for a fund by this name in any enacted fiscal year 2025 or 2026 spending legislation reviewed as of the publication date. The specific appropriations vehicle, if any, cited by the administration as legal authority had not been publicly detailed in the ABC News report as of this writing.
The injunction adds to a body of federal court rulings in 2025 and 2026 in which district judges have issued holds on executive spending actions pending congressional authorization review. The administration has not issued a public statement on whether it will appeal the injunction to the relevant circuit court, which would be the procedurally available next step under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1), governing interlocutory appeals of injunctions.
Several material facts remain unknown as of publication. The name of the presiding judge, the district court in which the case was filed, the docket number, and the identities of the plaintiffs have not been confirmed in publicly available court records reviewed for this article. The PACER federal court database (pacer.gov) would contain the full docket and the written injunction order, which would specify the legal basis, the scope of the injunction, and any bond requirement imposed on plaintiffs. It is also unknown whether any funds were transferred or obligated prior to the injunction being issued; USASpending.gov award records for the fund name would reveal any prior disbursements.