Trump Treasury Secretary Bessent announces $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to pay settlements in government misconduct cases

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" to compensate individuals and entities who claimed the federal government had improperly targeted them for political reasons, including through IRS audits and FBI investigations. The fund drew on Treasury's permanent appropriation authority under 31 U.S.C. § 1304 — the Judgment Fund mechanism — but directed payments to politically selected claimants rather than court-ordered judgments. The dollar amount was chosen as a deliberate reference to the year of American independence.