A federal judge denied a watchdog group’s request to temporarily block the Trump administration’s proposed anti-weaponization fund after the Justice Department said it is not moving forward. The judge warned government lawyers: “Don’t play possum with this court.”
Posts tagged as “the House Appropriations Committee”
Trump is expected to press defense industry leaders to speed weapons production as the war with Iran strains U.S. missile stockpiles. Officials and experts have warned that replenishing key systems could take years.
The House voted 214-212 to approve roughly $70 billion for ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of President Trump’s term. The bill ends a months-long funding fight but leaves out enforcement reforms Democrats had demanded.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the Justice Department will not proceed with a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund tied to an IRS settlement with President Trump. Blanche said other parts of the settlement, including limits on audits of past Trump tax returns, remain in place.
Senate Democrats are intensifying efforts to block the Trump-era $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund amid legal challenges and concerns over taxpayer payouts. A new bill seeks to shut down the fund and bar payments linked to lawsuits by the president or vice president.
Congressman Clyde has announced his intention to introduce two amendments to the 2024 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriation bill that would prohibit federal funds from being used to prosecute major presidential candidates prior to the 2024 election. The amendments, if passed, would not affect any existing indictments against President Trump. The bill is currently being considered by the House Appropriations Committee, of which Congressman Clyde is a member, and the Justice Department has released a memo stating that criminal litigation would continue without interruption during a government shutdown. It is unclear at this time whether the amendments will be approved by Congress.
A group of senators is preparing to introduce a bill that would extend the U.S. government's ability to expel migrants without court hearings beyond the expiration of a public health order. Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego has expressed concern that border communities in his state are not prepared to handle the surge of migrants when Covid restrictions end. The proposed bill would allow the U.S. government to continue the soon-to-be terminated Title 42 border expulsion policy for two years without a public health justification.
The U.S. State Department is facing an "unprecedented demand" for passports as Americans prepare to travel again following the COVID-19 pandemic. The State Department is receiving 500,000 passport applications a week, with wait times of 10 to 13 weeks for a regular passport and seven to nine weeks for an expedited passport. The State Department is hiring additional staff and increasing resources to meet the increased demand and is urging travelers to plan ahead and apply for passports as soon as possible.