Democrats Vow to Challenge Trump’s $1.8bn ‘MAGA Slush Fund’ in US Senate
Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader, has announced plans to force a vote on what Democrats call a $1.8bn ‘MAGA slush fund’ established as part of a settlement in Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The fund, described by the president as an ‘anti-weaponization fund’ to compensate victims of politicized prosecutions, has drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.
The fund’s terms do not require disclosure of payments, and administration officials have indicated that recipients could include pardoned January 6 rioters. Schumer, in a letter to colleagues, called it “Trump’s most brazen act of self-dealing yet” and “one of the most corrupt schemes ever launched by a president.” He vowed that Senate Democrats would not let it stand.
The legal and political backlash has been swift. US district judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia temporarily blocked the administration from transferring money from the fund after Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit to dissolve it. Former Vice-President Mike Pence described the possibility of compensating Capitol rioters as “deeply offensive,” adding that he believes this view is broadly held by most Republicans and Americans.
State-level opposition has also emerged. California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a 100% income tax on any distribution of the fund to California taxpayers, with similar proposals in Illinois, New York, and Connecticut. Schumer said Democrats will demand records preservation, press for hearings, and force Senate Republicans to vote on a measure to block payments from the fund. “If Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,” Schumer wrote. “If they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. There will be no escape hatch.”
