WATCH LIVE: Blanche testifies in House hearing as Trump considers dropping 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

By — Eric Tucker, Associated Press Eric Tucker, Associated Press By — Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-blanche-testifies-in-house-hearing-as-trump-considers-dropping-anti-weaponization-fund Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH LIVE: Blanche testifies in House hearing as Trump considers dropping 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Politics Jun 2, 2026 1:28 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after the Trump administration signaled it was pausing contentious plans to move forward with a nearly $1.8 billion fund that could compensate allies of President Donald Trump who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to testify in a House hearing at 4 p.m. EDT. Watch live in the video player above. The hearing before the House Appropriations Committee was scheduled for discussion of the Justice Department's budget, but lawmakers will almost certainly focus their questioning on the creation of a fund that has provoked outrage over the mere possibility that violent pro-Trump rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, could be eligible for payouts. WATCH: Bondi refused to answer any questions about Trump and Epstein files, Rep. Garcia says The Republican president is now reconsidering whether to move forward with the fund established to resolve his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, according to a person familiar with the matter, in the face of Republican backlash and legal setbacks. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss the president's thinking on Monday. The Justice Department also said Monday it would comply with a Virginia court temporarily blocking the administration's "Anti-Weaponization Fund," effectively agreeing to pause the plan for at least two weeks. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Another judge in Florida raised the prospect of reopening the IRS lawsuit because of "grievous allegations" of improper dealing made against the administration by settlement critics. The Trump administration has defended the fund as an appropriate measure to make up for what officials insist was a weaponized Justice Department during President Joe Biden's Democratic administration, a claim the Biden administration strongly denied. Though some Trump supporters, including participants in the Capitol riot, have celebrated the announcement, the reaction among Republicans in Congress has been decidedly more hostile, forcing Blanche to try to assuage a GOP constituency that generally operates in close alignment with the administration. READ MORE: Blanche faces senators on new Trump 'weaponization' fund, Epstein, budget cuts The