{"id":4239,"date":"2026-06-01T17:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/01\/democrats-vow-to-challenge-trumps-1-8bn-maga-slush-fund-in-us-senate\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T17:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:06:01","slug":"democrats-vow-to-challenge-trumps-1-8bn-maga-slush-fund-in-us-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4239","title":{"rendered":"Democrats vow to challenge Trump\u2019s $1.8bn \u2018Maga slush fund\u2019 in US Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"6107bfc2-352e-4db7-8a6d-5918d5117290\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man sits at a table\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/217985e2f0bf1badca91a3dbbe35ab72839fe829\/0_0_8256_5504\/master\/8256.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington DC on 27 May.<\/span> Photograph: Kent Nishimura\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"6107bfc2-352e-4db7-8a6d-5918d5117290\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington DC on 27 May.<\/span> Photograph: Kent Nishimura\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Democrats vow to challenge Trump\u2019s $1.8bn \u2018Maga slush fund\u2019 in US Senate<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Chuck Schumer shares plans to force vote on \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund and accuses Trump of \u2018corruption\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/democrats\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Democrats<\/a> in the US Senate vowed to force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/republicans\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Republicans<\/a> to vote on a $1.8bn \u201cMAGA slush fund\u201d established as part of a resolution of Donald Trump\u2019s long-shot lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">US president<\/a> has described the secretive and loosely controlled \u201canti-weaponization fund\u201d as a means of paying the victims of politicized prosecutions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/21\/senate-republicans-to-ditch-trump-ballroom-funding\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Members of his own party<\/a> are among those who have expressed alarm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The terms of the fund do not require the disclosure of how much is paid to whom. Administration officials have said payees could include pardoned January 6 rioters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cTrump\u2019s nearly $2 billion MAGA slush fund is his most brazen act of self-dealing yet and one of the most corrupt schemes ever launched by a president,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/chuck-schumer\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Chuck Schumer<\/a>, the US Senate minority leader, wrote in a letter to colleagues. \u201cSenate Democrats will not let it stand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The president sued the federal government over the leak of his tax returns. The controversial fund was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/18\/trump-dismiss-10-billion-dollar-irs-lawsuit\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">announced last month<\/a> as part of a settlement in this lawsuit against the IRS, an agency the president controls through his appointees. The agency did not defend itself in the lawsuit, raising accusations of collusion and corruption. The legal and political backlash has been swift.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">US district judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia on Friday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/29\/trump-weaponization-fund-federal-ruling\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">temporarily blocked<\/a> the administration from transferring money from the fund after Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit to dissolve it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/mike-pence\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Mike Pence<\/a>, Trump\u2019s first term vice-president, described the possibility of Capitol rioters who assaulted police officers and vandalized the US Capitol being compensated by the federal government as \u201cdeeply offensive\u201d on Sunday. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans,\u201d he told Meet the Press on NBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">California\u2019s governor, Gavin Newsom, has <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/post\/newsom-vows-california-will-impose-100-tax-trumps-18-billion-anti-weaponization-fund\/19188298\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">proposed<\/a> a 100% income tax on any distribution of the fund to a California taxpayer. Similar proposals have emerged in Illinois, New York and Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Schumer, describing the fund as \u201ccorruption in broad daylight\u201d, said Democrats would force Senate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/republicans\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Republicans<\/a> to vote on a measure to block payments from the fund. Democrats will demand that records are preserved and will press for hearings, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIf Republicans return to reconciliation, we will be ready with amendments to shut the fund down,\u201d wrote Schumer. \u201cIf they try to bury the issue, we will force them to the Senate floor. If they try to sneak behind appropriations, we will fight them there too. There will be no escape hatch. No fake guardrails or backroom promises to hide behind. No Justice Department announcement that makes this corruption acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/democrats\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-senate\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US Senate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/chuck-schumer\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Chuck Schumer<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/republicans\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Democrats%20vow%20to%20challenge%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20%241.8bn%20%E2%80%98Maga%20slush%20fund%E2%80%99%20in%20US%20Senate&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/senate-democrats-challenge-trump-slush-fund?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjun%2F01%2Fsenate-democrats-challenge-trump-slush-fund&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/senate-democrats-challenge-trump-slush-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the White House in Washington DC on 27 May. Photograph:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}