Federal Judge Halts Work On Trump’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’

A federal court in Virginia has halted the Trump administration from proceeding with plans to create a fund of about $1.8 billion to pay people it believes were wrongfully targeted by the agency in the past.

The brief order from U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema says the administration cannot take any action “pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund. Which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund.”

She scheduled a hearing for June 12 to consider arguments over whether she should put a longer-lasting stay on the government’s efforts to establish the fund, which is being challenged by a wide coalition of people and entities who argue they would be ineligible to receive money from it.