By Ken Thomas, Richard Rubin and Siobhan Hughes

WASHINGTON -- President Trump and the GOP-controlled Senate were on a collision course Thursday over the administration's controversial "anti-weaponization fund," with some Republican senators openly breaking with the White House over concerns about the $1.8 billion program's legality and lack of guardrails.

The fight comes as Republicans are growing nervous about their prospects for the midterms as well as whether they will be able to pass any more of Trump's agenda ahead of November. The president's decision to target another GOP senator, John Cornyn of Texas, for political extinction this week rattled many Republicans who had been steadfastly loyal to the White House.

Asked in the Oval Office if he was losing control of the Senate, Trump responded: "I really don't know. I can tell you I only do what's right."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Trump's former personal lawyer, was dispatched to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the "anti-weaponization fund," a priority of the president's after he has alleged for years that his supporters, including those prosecuted over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, had been targeted by the Justice Department.

Republicans are aiming to pass a $70 billion multiyear package for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol this week. But some GOP senators are considering adding language to that bill that would curtail the weaponization fund, crossing Trump.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.), said lawmakers had "very legitimate questions" about the fund and wanted to hear directly from Blanche on how it might function, and "how we might make sure that it's fenced in appropriately." A number of Republicans, including Thune, have publicly criticized the fund.

"I don't like the fund at all," said Sen. John Curtis (R., Utah), who added he didn't believe any guardrails could fix it. Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), who is retiring after Trump regularly criticized him, called it a "payout pot for punks."

In a one-page overview sent to Senate Republicans, the Justice Department wrote that there is "no partisan restriction: Democrats can submit claims, too," and noted that as part of the settlement creating the fund, the president, "his sons, and the Trump Organization LLC will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind. They cannot receive any money from the Fund, either."

White House officials are trying to solidify cracks in their support among fellow Republicans, who have signaled they will soon abandon a proposal to provide $1 billion for security upgrades to the White House complex and Trump's planned White House ballroom. Some GOP lawmakers worry the request appears tone-deaf amid a conflict with Iran that has pushed average gasoline prices past $4.50 a gallon across the U.S.

"I know my constituents, and I'm sure many other representatives' constituents do not want taxpayer money going to a ballroom," said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), the co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers' Caucus who faces a tough re-election battle, on Wednesday. "They don't want a DOJ slush fund that has not been described or explained to anybody."

Congress passed money for most of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year, but Democrats blocked funding for immigration enforcement. Senate Republicans are now trying to pass the remaining money for ICE and Border Patrol through a process called budget reconciliation, which requires a simple majority rather than the 60 votes typically required.

The pushback this week came after Trump stunned Republicans by endorsing state Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of next Tuesday's Texas Senate runoff race over sitting Sen. John Cornyn. In recent days, Trump-backed candidates successfully defeated Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) as well as Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) in GOP primaries. Those developments both rattled Republicans but also created what lawmakers call the YOLO caucus -- lawmakers who have nothing left to lose.

Cassidy bashed Trump's $1.8 billion fund on Wednesday. "People are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent, affording groceries and paying for gas, not about putting together a $1.8 billion fund for the President and his allies to pay whomever they wish," he said on X.

This week, Cassidy for the first time voted with Democrats to advance a war-powers resolution designed to rein in U.S. military action in Iran. A similar House vote is set for later Thursday and could pass.

Write to Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com, Richard Rubin at richard.rubin@wsj.com and Siobhan Hughes at Siobhan.hughes@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 21, 2026 12:31 ET (16:31 GMT)

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