Trump, Johnson Discuss $1.776 Billion DOJ Fund As Immigration Funding Package Faces Senate Delay

President Donald Trump met with House Speaker Mike Johnson after lawmakers raised concerns about a new Department of Justice fund created through a settlement tied to the leak of Trump’s tax returns.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

President Donald Trump met Monday with House Speaker Mike Johnson as lawmakers debated a newly created Department of Justice fund intended to compensate people who say they were targeted through political weaponization under the Biden administration.

Johnson’s office confirmed the meeting to The Hill, which reported that the discussion centered on the DOJ’s creation of a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The fund was established through a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax returns by contractor Charles Littlejohn, who pleaded guilty.

The fund has drawn objections from Senate Republicans and Democrats in both chambers, with lawmakers questioning whether the money could improperly benefit Trump allies. Supporters have described the fund as a way to assist alleged victims of political weaponization during the Biden Justice Department.

The dispute comes as Congress works to advance a reconciliation package containing funding for Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The process would allow Republicans to move the package without Democratic votes.

The immigration funding push follows a prolonged Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Democrats resisted additional immigration enforcement funding after the deaths of anti-ICE demonstrators in Minneapolis, Minn.

The new fund has complicated Senate action on the reconciliation measure, with the upper chamber delaying votes as members reviewed concerns about the proposal. The fund, however, is not the only source of Senate frustration.

Several Senate Republicans have also been angered by Trump’s involvement in Republican primaries. Trump backed challengers to Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., and both incumbents were ousted.

The meeting with Johnson placed the House speaker at the center of negotiations over how to handle concerns about the DOJ fund while keeping the broader immigration enforcement package moving through Congress.