Republican defiance over ‘anti-weaponization’ fund sets up confrontation with Trump

2026-05-23T10:03:40.686Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S. Congress have revolted over President Donald Trump’s $1.776 billion fund for people he says ​were victims of government “weaponization,” setting the stage for a searing battle less than six months before midterm elections.

On Thursday, the Senate called timeout on a $72 billion spending bill on immigration enforcement, which ‌has become a battleground over the “anti-weaponization” fund, after many Republican senators demanded that it either be killed or subjected to tough guardrails.

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Democrats, meanwhile, have also pledged to use the immigration bill to stage an attack on the fund.

Just one day earlier, Senate Majority Leader John Thune blocked $1 billion in federal funding for a lavish White House ballroom that Trump has already begun building. He said he did not have the Republican votes for it.

On Friday, Trump shot back.

“I am helping others, who were so badly abused by an evil, ​corrupt, and weaponized Biden Administration, receive, at long last, JUSTICE!” the president wrote on his social media platform.

This battle of wills between the president and his party, stoked by recent primary election victories of Trump-endorsed ​challengers over sitting lawmakers, threatens to intensify when Congress returns from recess next month, and could reverberate into the November midterms.

“The American people are going to reject this ⁠out of hand,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said of the anti-weaponization fund, whose beneficiaries could include those convicted in connection with the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

While many Republican senators were uncharacteristically ​mum coming out of a Thursday meeting on the spending bill, Tillis and others were clear on just how politically unpalatable the president’s demands had become.

“(The fund) could potentially compensate someone who assaulted a police officer, admitted their guilt, ​got convicted, got pardoned and now we’re going to pay them for that? That’s absurd,” Tillis, who is not running for reelection, said in a Thursday interview with Spectrum News.

LAWMAKERS MANEUVER OVER ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND

Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who faces a tough reelection battle this fall, teamed up with Democratic Representative Tom Suozzi of New York on legislation to prohibit the payment of any claims submitted to the fund.

Retiring Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said the ballroom and anti-weaponization funds in the immigration spending bill had become “poison ​pills” for House Republicans who face tough reelection campaigns.

With Republicans holding only slim majorities in both houses of Congress, it would only take a handful of defiant lawmakers to defeat Trump’s proposals.

But skepticism runs deep that congressional Republicans, who ​until recently have been loyal to the president on matters from tariffs to spending cuts to the Iran war, were ready to break ranks.

“We’ve heard this talk for 10 years now of rebellion and cracks in the coalition. It has never ‌happened,” said Doug ⁠Heye, a longtime Republican strategist.

He said Republicans are “constantly capitulating” on matters important to Trump, and that any revolt would be “light years” away.

Many of Trump’s backers in Congress, including Republican Representatives Abraham Hamadeh of Arizona and John Rose of Tennessee, have stepped up to defend him.

“Not a single congressional Republican was elected to oppose President Trump,” Hamadeh posted on X, adding: “Yet an insurgency is already brewing” in the Senate. “STOP slamming the brakes on the America First agenda.”

Peter Ticktin, an attorney representing more than 400 January 6 defendants, said he was confident his clients will receive payouts despite congressional pushback.

“They’re fools if they think this is going to work,” Ticktin said of Senate Republicans who oppose the fund. “It’s still ​going to go through, and those opposing the fund ​will suffer in future elections.”

DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS WILL ⁠FORCE DIFFICULT VOTES

Meanwhile the Democrats, while largely powerless as the minority party in both houses of Congress, are seizing on what they see as the president’s politically tone-deaf proposals.

They have contrasted the plight of U.S. consumers struggling amid inflation to pay their bills, with Trump’s lavish ballroom plans and the large sums of government money he might direct to the ​January 6 rioters or other allies.

“Is it possible on May 21, 2026, Republicans finally found an ethical bridge too far?” Senator Dick Durbin, the second-highest-ranking member of ​the Democrats’ Senate leadership, said ⁠at a Thursday press conference.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday portrayed Republicans as being in the throes of a “meltdown” over the ballroom and what they call a Trump “slush fund.”

One possibility for congressional Republicans after they return from recess on June 1 is to seek some sort of middle ground.

One source familiar with the maneuverings, who asked not to be identified, said there are discussions about proposed guardrails on the fund, such as standards for who would serve on a commission overseeing ⁠it, or requiring ​judicial review of it.

At the very least, Democrats will likely do what they can to force their opponents to cast politically difficult ​votes on amendments to the spending bill.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware this week told reporters he had drafted 13 such amendments. One would bar payments to January 6 rioters who assaulted law enforcement at the Capitol, while others would prohibit the use of any taxpayer money ​to make payments, and require all payments to be made public if the fund survives, a spokesperson for the senator said.

Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill, Richard Cowan, Jacob Bogage and David Morgan; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Edmund Klamann

‘Senators are not happy’: How Trump pushed the GOP to the breaking point this week

2026-05-23T10:00:08.091Z / CNN

President Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has deepened already simmering tensions between the White House and Senate GOP.

Republicans are exasperated by the infighting and warning it might only get worse ahead of the November midterms.

But Trump’s allies insist he’s unbowed by the pushback and is emboldened after a string of recent victories for his endorsed candidates in GOP primaries.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

President Donald Trump’s relationship with Senate Republicans has hit a new low after a revolt over his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund surfaced deep divisions over the direction of the party and its priorities.

Trump and his close allies were fuming over the rebuke on Friday, while on Capitol Hill, GOP senators and aides blasted the fund as the latest in a series of damaging White House blunders that they increasingly fear will cost them control of the chamber, according to five people familiar with the conversations.

“The president is making it as hard as humanly possible,” said one senior GOP Senate aide. “This is a true unified front. All 53 Republican senators are not happy right now.”

And with six months to go until the midterm elections, Republicans exasperated by the infighting are warning it might only get worse from here.

The standoff over the “anti-weaponization” fund capped a disastrous period that derailed Republicans’ bid to pass a major immigration package by June 1, as Trump had demanded, leaving their agenda in the lurch.

It also further underscored lawmakers’ long-simmering fears that rather than helping bolster their political standing by focusing on economic issues and touting key policy wins, Trump was instead weakening their chances come November through his preoccupation with personal projects and a wide-ranging retribution campaign.

“This is a ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’ kind of moment,” said GOP strategist Barrett Marson. “The things that Trump, and to some extent Congress, are focusing on right now are not things that help Americans — and time is running out to change the narrative.”

In just the last week, Trump celebrated the ouster of GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, who his allies had poured funds into primarying as revenge for voting to convict Trump in his impeachment trial five years ago. The president then endorsed against well-liked Texas Sen. John Cornyn in next week’s GOP primary runoff, opting instead to back Ken Paxton, a challenger who senators had openly warned could cost Republicans the race.

All the while, the White House was pressing Senate Republicans to authorize $1 billion for Trump’s new ballroom and the Secret Service, elevating a personal project many lawmakers fear is only reinforcing voters’ perception of the GOP as out of touch, Senate aides and others familiar with the matter said.

When the Senate’s parliamentarian ruled that the money couldn’t be included in Republicans’ broader legislative package, Trump publicly called for her firing — a move that many senators viewed as inappropriate and unwise, the people familiar said.

“Even the must-pass stuff is starting to get hijacked by things like the ballroom,” said one person familiar with the Senate dynamics. “From a morale standpoint, that doesn’t help.”

Against that backdrop, the creation of Trump’s $1.8 billion fund amounted to a breaking point, GOP aides said, prompting an outpouring of public criticism that culminated in a tense closed-door meeting over the arrangement with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Republican senators in the hours since have sought to make clear in public and private that there is little support for the fund — and that Trump continuing to pursue it could jeopardize the party’s broader agenda.

“Unless there’s some sort of come to Jesus moment in the White House, I don’t know how the calculus changes,” the person familiar with the Senate dynamics said. “The rebellious nature has really ticked up this week.”

Trump officials brushed off the setback and have insisted that there will be no changes to the fund. Trump tried to defend the fund on Friday morning, casting the settlement as a personal sacrifice and saying he’s “helping others” who claim they’ve been unfairly targeted. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales also rejected any suggestions that it had strained the White House’s relationship with Republican lawmakers.

“President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican party and he is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress to continue delivering wins for the American people,” she said.

The White House also sent statements from seven Republican senators attesting to the party’s continued unity behind Trump, though none made mention of the “anti-weaponization” fund or the White House ballroom.

“Senate Republicans need to be in lockstep with him to finish implementing his agenda for the American people — whatever it takes,” Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said in one of the statements. “President Trump is the head coach, and he needs a team that’s working together with him in the Senate.”

Trump and his top aides are eventually expected to work with Senate Majority Leader John Thune to chart a path through the conflict, though there was little immediate sense how exactly they planned to do it, GOP aides said.

In a notable sign that officials are eager to ease tensions, White House officials have largely declined to publicly attack individual senators over their criticisms of the $1.8 billion fund. Asked on Thursday whether he was losing his grip on the Senate, Trump said simply: “I really don’t know. I only do what’s right.”

But within Trump’s orbit, allies insisted that the president remained unbowed by the pushback — and to the contrary, appeared more emboldened after a string of recent Republican primary victories showed he retained his grip on the broader party.

“Donald Trump runs the entire board in primaries and senators believe that means nothing?” said one person close to the White House. “The Senate opposition to this is not going to last.”

Still, others warned that the dynamics could worsen in the coming months if Republicans’ midterm outlook erodes further.

Trump is already polling at historic lows and showing no signs of an imminent turnaround, potentially hastening the arrival of his lame duck status. He’s refused to pivot away from pet issues like the ballroom and toward a more sustained effort to address the cost-of-living issues hampering GOP candidates.

And in backing efforts to push out incumbent senators over long-held slights and grudges, he’s expanded the number of so-called free agents within the Republican conference: retiring senators that are suddenly more willing to speak their mind and oppose his priorities.

After Cassidy lost his primary, the Louisiana Republican promptly voiced opposition to Trump’s ballroom funding, disparaged the “anti-weaponization” fund and voted for a measure aimed at forcing the US out of its war in Iran.

“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 wrote on X on Wednesday.

Multiple people familiar with the matter said the post expressed an opinion that many other GOP senators held but could not voice on their own. But even by that point of the week, the mood in the chamber was darkening.

During an appearance in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance defended Trump’s fresh effort to push Cornyn out of his Texas Senate seat by arguing that it was an effort to install lawmakers who “fight for the good” of the people.

Trump wants “people who can’t be bought by corporate lobbyists, who can’t be bought by Wall Street, who can’t be bought by special interests,” said Vance, who previously served alongside Cornyn in the Senate and as a college student had briefly worked as his legal clerk.

The swipe quickly circulated among dismayed Hill Republicans, who even days later remained offended by the insinuation against a former member of Senate GOP leadership.

“Referring to Sen. Cornyn, who is a leader within our conference, in that way is disgraceful,” the senior GOP Senate aide said. “Unless there is a pattern change or behavior change from the White House, it’s not going to get any better.”

5月22日，在弗吉尼亚州杜勒斯的华盛顿杜勒斯国际机场等候处，美国疾病控制与预防中心已开始扩大伊波拉病毒筛查措施。 （法新社）

美国卫生与公众服务部发布一项临时规则，将针对伊波拉疫情所实施入境限制措施的适用范围扩大至合法永久居民，即绿卡持有者。

美国疾病控制和预防中心星期五（5月22日）宣布，鉴于当前伊波拉（Ebola）疫情形势，在过去21天内曾前往或停留于刚果民主共和国、乌干达或南苏丹的美国绿卡持有者将暂时禁止进入美国。

美疾控中心18日宣布采取为期30天的强化旅客筛查、入境限制等公共卫生措施，包括加强对来自受伊波拉疫情影响地区入境人员的公共卫生筛查和监测；对过去21天内曾前往刚果民主共和国、乌干达或南苏丹的非美国护照持有者实施入境限制等。当时发布的措施依然允许美国公民和绿卡持有者入境。

新华社引述疾控中心说，新发布的规定并非永久禁止绿卡持有者返回美国。

世界卫生组织22日宣布，新一轮伊波拉疫情在刚果民主共和国国家层面的风险水平从“高”上调至“非常高”，在地区层面的风险水平高，但在全球层面的风险水平低。

延伸阅读

刚果（金）伊波拉疫情恶化 世卫上调风险至最高级别 伊波拉疫情肆虐 刚果（金）国家队赴美前须隔离21天

美疾控中心说，目前美国境内尚未报告与此次疫情相关的确诊病例，普通民众面临的风险仍然较低。

美国扩大伊波拉入境限制至绿卡持有者

2026年5月23日 19:02 / 联合早报

美国扩大伊波拉入境限制至绿卡持有者

5月22日，在弗吉尼亚州杜勒斯的华盛顿杜勒斯国际机场等候处，美国疾病控制与预防中心已开始扩大伊波拉病毒筛查措施。 （法新社）

美国卫生与公众服务部发布一项临时规则，将针对伊波拉疫情所实施入境限制措施的适用范围扩大至合法永久居民，即绿卡持有者。

美国疾病控制和预防中心星期五（5月22日）宣布，鉴于当前伊波拉（Ebola）疫情形势，在过去21天内曾前往或停留于刚果民主共和国、乌干达或南苏丹的美国绿卡持有者将暂时禁止进入美国。

美疾控中心18日宣布采取为期30天的强化旅客筛查、入境限制等公共卫生措施，包括加强对来自受伊波拉疫情影响地区入境人员的公共卫生筛查和监测；对过去21天内曾前往刚果民主共和国、乌干达或南苏丹的非美国护照持有者实施入境限制等。当时发布的措施依然允许美国公民和绿卡持有者入境。

新华社引述疾控中心说，新发布的规定并非永久禁止绿卡持有者返回美国。

世界卫生组织22日宣布，新一轮伊波拉疫情在刚果民主共和国国家层面的风险水平从“高”上调至“非常高”，在地区层面的风险水平高，但在全球层面的风险水平低。

美疾控中心说，目前美国境内尚未报告与此次疫情相关的确诊病例，普通民众面临的风险仍然较低。

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美司法部：两名在逃中国公民涉为跨国犯罪组织洗钱被起诉

2026年5月23日 15:20 / 联合早报

美国司法部星期五（5月22日）通报，两名中国公民被起诉串谋从事洗钱活动，此案与锡那罗亚贩毒集团（Sinaloa Cartel）和哈利斯科新生代贩毒集团（CJNG）等跨国犯罪组织有关联。

据美国之音报道，法庭文件显示，从至少2016年11月起，直至2025年4月，两名嫌犯甄儒桓（音译，Ruhuan Zhen）和吴宏策（音译，Hongce Wu）及同谋利用多种隐秘手段，代表跨国犯罪组织，对巨额毒品收益以及据称是毒品收益的资金进行洗钱。

根据指控，这起串谋犯罪活动历时数年，同谋者遍布美国、墨西哥、拉丁美洲、中国及其他地区，所涉毒品收益源自进口与贩运非法药物，包括可卡因和芬太尼。

甄儒桓和吴宏策去年4月已被弗吉尼亚州的一个联邦大陪审团起诉。两人仍然在逃。如被定罪，两人分别面临20年监禁的最高刑罚。

另据香港《南华早报》报道，美国司法部尚未针对关于两人是否已逃往中国、以及来自中国何地等提问做出回应。中美两国并没有引渡协议。

延伸阅读

中美联合侦破跨国毒品犯罪案件 嫌犯被捕

新华社本周报道，中美成功联合侦破一起跨国犯罪案件。天津警方2月根据美方提供的线索，成功抓获宫姓犯罪嫌疑人。美方先前也在美国佐治亚州抓捕一名美国籍同案涉毒犯罪嫌疑人。

中国商务部长王文涛（右）星期四（5月21日）会见美国副贸易代表斯威策，就中美经贸关系交换意见。 （中国商务部网站）

中国商务部长王文涛会见美国副贸易代表斯威策，就中美经贸关系交换意见，并希望双方工作层按照两国元首确定的共识方向，尽快敲定本次经贸磋商成果细节。

亚太经济合作组织（APEC）贸易部长会议星期五（5月22日）在江苏苏州开幕。据中国商务部网站消息，王文涛星期四（21日）在苏州会见到中国出席APEC会议的美国副贸易代表斯威策一行。

王文涛表示，中美两国元首上周在北京举行历史性会晤，共同确定了中美建设性战略稳定关系的新定位，肯定中美经贸团队达成了总体平衡积极的成果。

他续说，双方工作层要按照两国元首确定的共识方向，尽快敲定本次经贸磋商成果细节，做好后续落实；并强调中方愿与美方一道，加强沟通，拓展合作，在经贸成果方面“做加法”，为建设性战略稳定关系作出更多贡献。

中美第七轮经贸磋商和元首会晤结束近一周后，中国商务部星期三（20日）针对最新一轮中美经贸磋商具体说明初步成果，其中包括确认中国会购买200架波音飞机，并首次透露双方讨论的对等降税细节，相关产品规模可能达各300亿美元（384亿新元）或更多。

翁哈菲兹在脸书发文说，苹果公司向他发出警告通知，声称有人试图利用间谍软件对他的手机和苹果账户发动攻击。 （南洋商报）

马来西亚柔佛州务大臣翁哈菲兹声称，手机遭到特定人士发动间谍软件攻击。

翁哈菲兹星期五（5月22日）晚在脸书贴文指出，苹果公司已向他发出警告通知，声称有人试图利用间谍软件对他的手机和苹果账户发动攻击。

他也分享苹果发出的警示截图，称苹果公司已侦测到“有雇佣型间谍软件正试图远程入侵与你苹果账户相关联的iPhone”。

警示中写道：“而此次攻击可能是针对你本人，原因在于你的身分或工作性质。尽管在侦测此类攻击时无法做到绝对确定，但苹果对此警告具有高度信心。”

《南洋商报》引述通知说，雇佣型间谍软件攻击极为罕见，复杂程度远超一般网络犯罪活动或普通恶意软件。

“这类攻击通常耗资数百万美元，并且只针对极少数人单独部署，但攻击目标持续存在且遍及全球。”

“雇佣型间谍软件”是一种专门用于定向监控的恶意软件，通常由私人公司出售予政府、执法机构，甚至售给个人。

翁哈菲兹表示，他严正看待此事，因为这涉及数据安全、通讯机密、个人权利及隐私遭侵犯的问题。

翁哈菲兹也是柔佛国阵及巫统主席，他将向警方报案，并向马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会提出正式投诉。

被告郭俊贤在分手后，两度潜入前女友家中进行骚扰及偷窃。 （谷歌地图）

27岁马来西亚男子与40岁女友分手后，一周内两度潜入对方住家骚扰，还偷走名牌墨镜及皮带，被判监六个月又四周。

被告郭俊贤（译音）共面对三项包括偷窃、非法入侵建筑物的控状。他承认其中两项，另一项由法官纳入考量。

案情显示，受害者是被告的前女友（40岁）。两人在2024年2月至2025年2月交往，其间被告曾多次到女方位于百乐美路（Prome Rd）的公寓租屋处，并得知进入单位的密码。

两人在2025年2月分手后断联，但同年6月被告向受害者开口借1500元遭拒。

同年11月15日，被告为引起受害者注意，并希望她主动联系自己，于是利用仍记得的密码闯入受害者单位。他进入单位的房间及阳台，企图进行骚扰，而受害者对此毫不知情。

同一天稍后，受害者发现阳台窗户把手损坏，担心人身安全，于是房东在阳台安装闭路电视，并更换密码。

岂料，被告在11月19日再次返回单位，发现密码更换后，竟翻越围墙及栏杆，沿着狭窄边缘走到阳台，再将闭路电视镜头推向别处，以避开拍摄。

被告成功从阳台进入受害者房间后，偷走了一副约600元的迪奥（Dior）墨镜及一条约600元的巴黎世家（Balenciaga）皮带。他打算出售墨镜，并自行使用皮带。

受害者事后发现窗户把手再度损坏，与房东查看闭路电视后认出被告，隔天报警。维修把手花费约50元。

警方之后搜查被告住处，起获受害者失窃的物品，并于11月24日逮捕他。

被告在庭上求情时向受害者致歉，并保证绝不再犯。法官下判时指出，受害者至今仍未获得任何赔偿，加上被告是在保释期间再次犯案，且两度破门闯入受害者住家，行为恶劣，因此将这些因素列为加重刑罚的考量。