Rep. Fitzpatrick is leading an effort against the anti-weaponization fund and sounding the alarm over its use of taxpayer dollars.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is leading a bipartisan effort to kill a recently announced $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) partnered with Fitzpatrick on the legislation, which was released last week.
The bipartisan Transparency for American Taxpayers Act will “prohibit federal funds from being used to pay any claims submitted to the Department of Justice’s newly announced Anti-Weaponization Fund,” according to a press release from Rep. Fitzpatrick.
The bill was introduced just one day after Fitzpatrick sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asking a series of questions about the fund’s use of taxpayer dollars, including its legal authority and lack of congressional oversight.
Fitzpatrick called on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to provide immediate transparency on the fund’s use of taxpayer dollars. Fitzpatrick also raised concerns over the fund’s creation moving forward without congressional approval.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Attorney General established “The Anti-Weaponization Fund” to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of those who suffered weaponization and lawfare.
The fund is set to receive $1.776 billion from the judgement fund, which is a perpetual appropriation allowing the Department to settle and pay cases.
Each quarter, a report will be sent to the Attorney General outlining who has received relief and what form of relief was awarded.
“A nearly $1.8 billion DOJ-controlled fund cannot be created, defined, and distributed in the shadows… Taxpayer dollars will not be turned into a discretionary payout fund. Transparency is not optional. Accountability is not negotiable,” Fitzpatrick wrote on social media.
Fitzpatrick raised concerns that “nearly $2 billion in taxpayer dollars could be diverted to a discretionary compensation fund without clear congressional authorization, court approval, or transparent guardrails.”
“Congress has a constitutional responsibility to protect taxpayer dollars and oversee federal spending,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
“I called on the DOJ to explain where this money is coming from, who may receive it, and under what authority this fund was created. Today, we are acting.”
