Trump administration brings on record new class of immigration judges

2026-05-21T15:55:57.642Z / Reuters

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks, as the U.S. Department of Justice announces criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, during a ceremony to honor the victims of the 1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft incident, at Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida, U.S., May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Marco… Purchase Licensing RightsRead more

May 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday said it had added the largest class of new immigration judges in the agency’s history this week as ​President Donald Trump’s administration moves to restock the immigration court system with people it ‌calls “deportation judges.”

The Justice Department said 77 new permanent immigration judges and five new temporary ones were sworn in on Wednesday during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., bringing the current total to nearly 700 after ​the Trump administration fired more than 100 others.

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“Today, we are onboarding the largest ​immigration judge class in agency history,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche ⁠said in a statement. “This could only happen thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership and ​commitment to securing our borders.”

Immigration judges are not part of the federal judiciary but belong ​to the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, as does the Board of Immigration Appeals, which hears appeals of their decisions.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025 with his hard-line ​immigration agenda, his administration has fired at least 115 immigration judges and a similar number have ​taken buyouts, resigned or retired out of a total of about 700 judges, according to the National ‌Association ⁠of Immigration Judges.

At the same time, it has been moving to replace them, often with new hires with backgrounds in criminal prosecution or immigration enforcement. Many of the 77 new permanent judges, who will serve about half of the states, similarly have enforcement backgrounds.

The Justice Department ​says that overall, its ​immigration review office ⁠has hired 153 permanent immigration judges in the 2026 fiscal year that began October 1, the most ever in a single year.

The ​five new temporary judges hail from the military and can serve ​up to six ⁠months. The Pentagon in September said that military and civilian lawyers working for the U.S. Defense Department under the leadership of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would temporarily serve as immigration judges.

The ⁠Justice ​Department calls reducing the immigration court backlog one of ​its biggest priorities. It said the pending caseload in immigration courts has declined from about 4 million cases to ​under 3.53 million since Trump took office.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston Editing by Bill Berkrot

Nate Raymond reports on the federal judiciary and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com.

欧洲联盟今年经济增长预料将放缓，图为法国首都巴黎一条购物街。 （法新社）

经济展望报告显示，受中东冲突引发的能源冲击影响，欧洲联盟今年经济增长将放缓，通胀将上升。

根据星期四（5月21日）发布的2026年春季经济展望报告，欧盟实际国内生产总值（GDP）增速将放缓至1.1%，较去年秋季预测下调0.3个百分点，2027年将回升至1.4%。欧元区2026年和2027年经济增长预计分别为0.9%和1.2%。

新华社引述报告说，尽管能源驱动的通货膨胀预计在2027年有所缓解，但能源大宗商品价格预计仍将比此次中东冲突前水平高约20%。欧盟2026年通胀率预计将达3.1%，较此前秋季预测高出一个百分点，2027年将回落至2.4%。欧元区2026年和2027年通胀率预计分别为3.0%和2.3%。

此外，受经济活动疲软、利息支出上升、能源补贴措施以及防务支出增加等因素影响，欧盟财政赤字率预计将从2025年的3.1%升至2027年的3.6%。

报告还显示，德国2026年经济增长预期由此前的1.2%大幅下调至0.6%，预计2027年德国经济增长仅为0.9%。美国关税政策、能源价格高企以及地缘政治风险将持续拖累德国经济复苏。

Exclusive: US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair warns of China role in Argentina contract bid

2026-05-21T14:13:26.099Z / Reuters

A dredging boat of the Luxembourg-based company Jan De Nul sprays sand at the shore on the Parana river near Rosario, Argentina, January 31, 2017. Picture taken January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Jan De Nul, Servimagnus deny Chinese ties, call allegations a malicious fallacy
• US lobbying supports Deme consortium, citing concerns over bid process and Chinese influence
• Argentina’s anti-corruption office flags irregularities in bidding process

BUENOS AIRES, May 21 (Reuters) – U.S. House Foreign Affairs ​Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast has warned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of “Chinese malign influence” in a bid for ‌a major contract in Argentina, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The April 23 letter concerns an auction for a 25-year contract to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River, a vital waterway for most of the country’s agricultural exports, that Argentina estimates will reach $10 billion in investment.

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The terms of the tender, which is in its final phase ​with a decision expected in the coming days, explicitly barred state-owned companies, preventing bids from Chinese firms.

But Mast alleged that China was attempting “to ​circumvent that choice through a private sector proxy.” There is “serious concern

Trump is rolling back Biden-era regulations on refrigerants. But it’s unlikely to save consumers money

May 21, 2026 10:31 AM ET / CNN

By Alayna Treene, David Goldman
Updated May 21, 2026, 12:04 PM ET

A woman pushes a shopping cart at the Miami Doral, Florida, Walmart Supercenter.

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Summary

• President Donald Trump is rolling back back Biden-era regulations on refrigerants used in supermarkets and refrigerated transport.
• The White House argues the move could save consumers more than $800 million on groceries.
• But rolling back the regulations is highly unlikely to lower grocery prices for everyday consumers.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

President Donald Trump announced new measures on Thursday to roll back Biden-era regulations on refrigerants in a move his administration argues will help lower grocery prices.

Trump, who was joined by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and executives from major grocery chains for the Oval Office announcement, is extending deadlines for supermarkets and businesses to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons — considered harmful, planet-warming pollutants used for refrigeration and air conditioners. The EPA is also expected to revise a 2024 program to exempt road refrigerant appliances — used to transport goods — from leak requirements for hydrofluorocarbons.

Thursday’s announcement is the latest in a string of efforts by the White House to try and lower consumer costs amid persistent inflation and affordability concerns — an issue that has become a glaring concern for Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.

But rolling back the regulations is highly unlikely to lower grocery prices for everyday consumers. Supermarkets operate on razor-thin margins and have very little wiggle room to lower good prices that have been on the rise as the Iran war has sent diesel prices surging. Fresh produce prices rose sharply in April — up 6.5% from a year earlier — because the cost of shipping has soared over the past several months.

Under the 2023 Technology Transitions Rule, grocery stores, AC companies and others were mandated to reduce powerful greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment. The EPA is also expected to revise the 2024 Emissions Reduction and Reclamation Program to exempt the road refrigerant appliances.

The Biden-era rules would have added a one-time expense for new equipment. Rolling back those regulations means companies that have not already purchased new equipment will no longer be required to update their systems. But that’s not the same as lowering grocery costs.

The White House argues the two EPA actions could save consumers more than $800 million at the supermarket, and as much as $1.5 billion for transportations of refrigerated goods.

“Americans were right to be frustrated with the Biden-era refrigerant rules. They didn’t protect human health or the environment and instead piled on costly, unattainable restrictions beyond what the law requires,” Zeldin said in a statement.

The Food Industry Association, a trade group representing grocery stores, estimated that the cost to switch away from HFCs would cost $1 million per grocery store. But the industry has had years to prepare for this, and many companies have already made the changes to newer equipment that complies with the EPA’s order.

Grocery stores also need to comply with even more aggressive regulations that several states, including California, have passed.

A trade group representing refrigerator makers argued Thursday that this rollback will raise costs for consumers, manufacturers and grocery stores.

“This rule works against basic supply and demand,” Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), said in a statement.

“By extending the compliance deadline, the EPA is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall under the AIM Act. So, instead of falling, refrigerant prices are likely to rise, resulting in higher service costs, and higher costs for consumers.”

Executives from Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, Foodfresh, Fareway and other groceries were expected to attend the announcement, according to a White House official.

USA Today first reported the details of the event.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Matt Egan contributed to this report.

法国法院：法航空客在2009年空难中犯“过失杀人”罪

2026年5月21日 23:49 / 联合早报

巴西海军于2009年6月8日发布的照片​​显示，潜水员正在打捞法航A330客机的部分尾翼残骸。这架客机于2009年6月1日从里约热内卢飞往巴黎途中在大西洋上空坠毁。 （法新社）

法国巴黎上诉法院裁定，法国航空公司和空中客车两家企业在2009年法航AF447航班空难中“过失杀人”罪名成立。

法院星期四（5月21日）宣布，这两家公司对空难负全部责任。作为法人，两家公司分别被判处22万5000欧元（约33万3900新元）的顶格罚金。法媒分析说，这对法航和空客来说虽是“象征性”的，但被判有罪将影响它们的企业形象。

新华社报道，法院认定，空客作为失事飞机的制造商，低估了引发空难的皮托管（Pitot tube）严重隐患，且未能向运营商提供相关信息。法航作为飞机运营商，未能就皮托管故障对机组人员进行充分培训和提供相关信息。

法航和空客在一审和上诉环节都否认上述指控，并作了无罪辩护，称空难过错在飞行员。2023年，法国法院一审曾判决两家公司没有刑事责任。遇难者家属获得赔偿。

2009年5月31日，法航AF447航班一架空客A330客机从巴西里约热内卢起飞前往巴黎，6月1日凌晨在靠近巴西的大西洋海域上空失事坠毁，机上216名乘客和12名机组人员全部遇难。调查显示，失事客机遭遇了恶劣天气，导致皮托管结冰，飞行员和自动驾驶设备无法获得正确的高度和速度信息。

皮托管又称空速管或航速测量仪，一般安装在机头正前方或垂尾等位置，通过仪器末端的感应器测量飞行中气流所产生压力，以此判断航速，并将数据传输给飞行员和自动驾驶设备。

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Phantom employees’ scandal spurs GOP crackdown on $36B incentive for companies to bypass Americans

May 21, 2026 9:47am EDT / Fox News

Rep. Grothman’s bill seeks close the loophole creating a ‘significant financial incentive’ to hire foreign workers

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6395436002112#### Acting ICE director reveals thousands of potential fraudulent foreign workers

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons revealed that Homeland Security Investigations officers uncovered potentially thousands of fraudulent foreign workers.

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FIRST ON FOX: The discovery of 10,000 “phantom employees” exploiting a federal work program has helped spur Republicans to tackle the financial incentives behind a foreign worker pipeline costing Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs per year.

Under current federal law, hundreds of thousands of foreign students and employers participating in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension program are exempt from paying Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes, which companies are required to pay for domestic workers. This has led to the creation of a “significant financial incentive” for employers to hire foreign OPT workers over Americans.

Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin introduced a bill Thursday, titled the “OPT Fair Tax Act,” that eliminates that incentive by requiring employers to pay the same Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes paid for American workers. By closing the loophole, Grothman believes the bill “helps create a more level playing field for American graduates entering the workforce.”

The congressman told Fox News Digital that “Americans should not be put at a disadvantage because Washington created a loophole that favors hiring foreign workers over qualified U.S.citizens.” He added that “too many young Americans graduating from our colleges and universities are forced to compete against a system that tilts the playing field against them.”

DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., (center) dropped a bill Thursday to kill the financial incentives behind a foreign worker pipeline costing Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uncovered 10,000 “phantom employees” exploiting a federal work program.(Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Grothman’s bill is the House companion to a Senate bill introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in September.

Though Cotton’s bill has not passed, OPT has faced increased scrutiny after Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced federal investigators uncovered more than 10,000 foreign students connected to “suspect employers” as part of a massive fraud scheme involving the program.

Lyons said that OPT, which lets international students on F-1 visas work temporarily in the country in jobs related to their field of study, had “ballooned into an uncontrolled guest worker pipeline with hundreds of thousands of foreign students working in the United States.”

He said that “as the program size exploded, so has the fraud.”

“Today, we are announcing we have identified over 10,000 foreign students who claim to be working for highly suspect employers, and that’s just among the top 25 OPT employers. This is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

The ICE director also said investigators uncovered what he referred to as “phantom employees,” who he said are foreign students who obtained work authorization through OPT but never actually showed up for work at the sites they claimed to work out of.

TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING BILL CLEARS HOUSE AFTER GOP DEFIES SENATE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrives for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on oversight of ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and Citizenship and Immigration Services in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Grothman told Fox News Digital that these findings “point to serious vulnerabilities within the OPT program.”

He said that “reports that thousands of foreign students in the OPT program were tied to phantom employees and suspicious employers should alarm every American,” adding, “Right now, the federal government has created a financial incentive to hire foreign workers over Americans.”

Grothman said the scale of the tax preference has been significant. He pointed to data gathered by the technology and industry think tank Institute for Progress, which found that between fiscal years 2017 and 2022, an average of approximately 330,000 students participated in OPT annually. The think tank also estimated that eliminating the tax exemption would increase federal revenue by between $27 billion and $36 billion over a 10-year period.

GOP BILL TARGETS BLUE STATE FOR BILLIONS IN COVID-ERA UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT DUMPED ON BUSINESSES

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Building from the top of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on May 2, 2026.(Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

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“Congress should be focused on opening doors for young Americans, helping U.S. graduates find good-paying jobs and ensuring employers are encouraged to hire Americans first. Not creating incentives for companies to bypass American talent,” he emphasized.

“The American people deserve to know how so many questionable employers were able to operate within the system for so long,” he continued. “Congress should be prioritizing American workers and restoring integrity to programs that have become increasingly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Read the DNC’s 2024 autopsy obtained by CNN

Updated May 21, 2026, 10:22 AM ET / CNN

Vice President Kamala Harris departs the stage after conceding the 2024 election during a speech at Howard University in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2024.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

CNN is publishing a copy of a report into why Democrats lost the 2024 presidential election conducted at the request of Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin.

This version of the report – better known as the 2024 autopsy – was written by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera. The DNC withheld the report until presented with CNN’s reporting about much of its contents. The copy published by CNN includes annotations in red that the DNC added to its version of Rivera’s report. CNN has not modified the report and does not vouch for the accuracy of any statements within the report or the DNC’s annotations.

Click here for a report about how the autopsy was created, based on interviews with three dozen campaign and party officials as well as people familiar with the process. And CNN’s takeaways from the report are available here.

Martin issued the following statement to CNN:

“When I was elected DNC chair, I commissioned an after action review of the 2024 election that I wanted to be honest and transparent, and with actionable and specific takeaways for the future of the Democratic Party. When I received the report late last year, it wasn’t ready for primetime — not even close — and because no source material was provided, it would have meant starting over. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on the report that was produced.”

“After last November’s massive Democratic wins, I didn’t want to create a distraction, but by not putting the report out, I ended up creating an even bigger distraction. For that, I sincerely apologize. For full transparency, I am releasing the report as we received it, in its entirety, unedited and unabridged. It does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards, but I am doing this because people need to be able to trust the Democratic Party and trust our word.”

Rivera declined to comment.

U.S. Senate Republicans meet with AG Blanche on Trump fund

2026-05-21 15:29:13 UTC / Reuters

By Richard Cowan

May 21, 2026 3:29 PM UTC Updated 42 mins ago

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks, as the U.S. Department of Justice announces criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro, during a ceremony to honor the victims of the 1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft incident, at Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida, U.S., May 20, 2026. REUTERS/Marco… Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) – Senate Republicans were meeting with Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday to discuss the Trump ​administration’s $1.8 billion “weaponization” fund

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that his ‌53 Republican senators want to hear an explanation from Blanche on how the fund would work “and what they (Trump administration officials) intend to do with it.”

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The meeting began shortly ​after Thune’s remarks.

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The “Anti-Weaponization Fund” stems from a $10 billion lawsuit President Donald ​Trump had filed against the Internal Revenue Service over a disclosure ⁠of his tax returns to the media in 2019 and 2020.

A legal ​settlement subsequently was revealed this week for the fund, which would be for ​victims of alleged political “weaponization.” It also would bar audits of Trump taxes, according to legal experts.

“Obviously our members have very legitimate questions about it,” Thune said. “We’ve had some conversations ​about … if it’s going to be a feature going forward, what it ​might look like and how we might make sure that it’s fenced-in appropriately?”

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Democrats have attacked ‌the ⁠arrangement as a Trump “slush fund” and warned that they have prepared several amendments to an unrelated bill the Senate is trying to pass this week providing $72 billion in additional funding to Department of Homeland Security deportation efforts.

That ​has left Senate Republicans ​in the difficult ⁠position of either defending the fund, which has stirred a maelstrom in Washington, or potentially incurring Trump’s wrath if ​they joined forces with Democrats or tried to impose ​some “guardrails” on ⁠the fund.

Thune was asked by reporters whether this controversy — and the likely removal of $1 billion from the legislation that Trump wanted to help build a new White ⁠House ​ballroom — could stand in the way of passing ​the immigration law enforcement bill.

“There’s always a chance,” Thune said, adding that he was still working ​on the legislation.

blob:https://www.reuters.com/cee48ee0-dc0c-4c93-a16b-4f930073ca10

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-republicans-meet-with-ag-blanche-trump-fund-2026-05-21/

Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Doina Chiacu

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Blanche meets with Senate Republicans as Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund faces trouble on Capitol Hill

2026-05-21 11:22 AM ET / CNN

By Ted Barrett

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche arrives at the US Capitol, May 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is meeting with Senate Republicans Thursday morning, a GOP aide told CNN, in an attempt to save the Justice Department’s “anti-weaponization” fund as the party weighs its fate.

“Our members have very legitimate questions about it, and we’ve had some conversations about if it’s going to be a feature going forward, what it might look like, and how we might make sure that it’s fenced in appropriately,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said ahead of the meeting.

Blanche was initially scheduled to go to Minnesota where he was expected to speak at a press conference about fraud. Instead, he will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill where the fund’s future hangs in the balance.

In the latest sign that Senate Republicans may seek to put guardrails around the program, Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins came out against the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion fund for individuals claiming they had been unfairly treated by past Justice Departments.

“I do not support the weaponization fund as it has been described,” said Collins, who faces a tough reelection in November. “I do not believe individuals that were convicted of violence against police officers on Jan. 6 should be entitled to reimbursement of their legal fees.”

Utah GOP Sen. John Curtis said on his way into the meeting he’d “listen with an open mind, but I’m just telling you, I have some serious concerns.”

“What are my concerns? Yeah, an Executive Branch being able to, at their will, send money to people without the proper judicial rule. Those are my concerns,” he continued.

Democrats are also preparing amendments to the GOP’s reconciliation bill to put Republicans on the spot over the fund that could be used to compensate President Donald Trump’s allies. The newly announced fund has run into real issues in the GOP conference this week, with lawmakers expressing concern over the political problems it could raise in a critical midterm election year.

But the White House has doubled down in recent days on its push to fund the president’s priorities as part of the broader package of immigration money. That includes his East Wing ballroom project, which has already run into challenges related to the chamber’s arcane budget rules that would allow the GOP to skirt the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.

Ahead of the Blanche meeting, which was first reported by Politico, Republican lawmakers noted that they have questions over how the fund in particular would work.

“I just don’t know how this puppy dog will work. I’m not sure where the money’s coming from. I’m not sure who’s going to decide. I’m not sure how this works with respect to our court system. I don’t know. I don’t know anything about anything, which is why the attorney general’s coming,” Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy said.

CNN’s Manu Raju, Alison Main and Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.

Republicans recoil as Trump’s billion-dollar DOJ ‘slush fund’ for allies threatens ICE, Border Patrol plan

May 21, 2026 11:00am EDT / Fox News

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he’s ‘not a big fan’ and wants the fund ‘fenced in appropriately’

By Alex Miller Fox News

Senate Republicans are breaking with President Donald Trump on his new, nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as concerns over where the money comes from and who gets it ripple through the Capitol.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the $1.78 billion fund earlier this week in a deal struck between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to drop his $10 billion lawsuit.Shortly after, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was grilled by senators on the subject.

“This is an outrageous, unprecedented slush fund that you have set up,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said. “Simple question, will individuals who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers be eligible for this fund?”

TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING

Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke to the media outside the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol after the Senate passed a Department of Homeland Security funding bill by unanimous consent on April 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Anybody in this country will be eligible to apply,” Blanche said.

That concern has driven several Senate Republicans to criticize the fund, given that several people convicted of assaulting police on the Hill, or who have tried to harm the president, could get access to taxpayer dollars.

“Imagine that,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said. “A fund that is set up to compensate people who assaulted Capitol Police officers and other responding agencies, right? People that had pled guilty to physical acts against the president may actually be able to get compensated. How absurd does that sound coming out of my mouth?”

Senate Republicans are currently trying to ram through a multibillion-dollar package that will fund immigration operations for the remainder of Trump’s presidency and are already grappling with a $1 billion funding request that will go toward security enhancements for his colossal ballroom.

That funding, which was already stripped out by the Senate rules referee, and whether to add restrictions to the DOJ fund, are gumming up the process in the upper chamber.

SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396089330112

Few Republicans are actively supporting the “anti-weaponization” fund.Lawmakers are set to meet with Blanche Thursday morning behind closed doors to learn more about how it works.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., previously said that he was “not a big fan” of the fund and questioned its purpose.

“Our members have very legitimate questions about it, and we’ve had some conversations about, if it’s going to be a feature going forward, what it might look like and how we might make sure that it’s fenced in appropriately,” Thune said ahead of the meeting.

Officers who protected the Hill on Jan. 6 sued to block the fund on Wednesday, but it hasn’t sated the concerns that Republicans have. Some want Congress to get involved.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who Trump successfully worked to oust during his primary election over the weekend, argued that the fund was adding to the nation’s staggering national debt, and that “if there needs to be a settlement, the administration should bring it to Congress to decide.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS, DEMS BLOCK DUELING ATTEMPTS TO REPEAL CONTROVERSIAL ARCTIC FROST PROVISION

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., spoke to reporters after the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 2026.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“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 with no legal precedent or accountability,” Cassidy said on X.

But it’s not a unanimous issue shared throughout the Senate GOP. Some, like Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., believe that there have been people “really harmed by the federal government,” and had no issue with setting up a fund to compensate them.

Johnson and a handful of his colleagues were the targets of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost probe and had their phone records subpoenaed without notice as part of the investigation.

That spurred now-defunct legislation that would have allowed senators targeted in the probe to sue for up to $500,000 as part of the investigation.

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Johnson believed that the five-member panel that would process the claims would prevent criminals and others from getting a piece of the fund.

“I’m assuming they’re not going to provide that type of funding for criminals. I mean, people who really should have been prosecuted, people who committed violence, that type of thing,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “But, I mean, for the grandma and grandpas that just showed up and you’ve got the DOJ or FBI doing SWAT raids on their farms? Yeah, those people should be compensated.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.