What to know
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is testifying today before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the White House’s budget request of $40.8 billion for the Justice Department, a staggering 13% increase from the prior fiscal year.
- The hearing comes a day after the DOJ announced the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund of taxpayer money to compensate people purportedly prosecuted unfairly by the Biden administration. This “anti-weaponization fund,” created without congressional approval, is part of a settlement agreement between President Donald Trump and the IRS.
- For Blanche, who took over for Attorney General Pam Bondi after Trump ousted her last month, the hearing also serves as an audition, since Trump has not yet formally nominated him to permanently lead the DOJ.