WASHINGTON DC, KOMPAS.com -The United States Federal Court temporarily suspended a compensation fund program worth 1.8 billion US dollars (around Rp. 32 trillion) to help victims of abuse of government power.
The fund, named the “Anti-Weaponization Fund”, has attracted controversy because it is claimed to have the potential to be a tool to benefit political loyalists of President Donald Trump.
联邦地区法官 Leonie Brinkema 上周禁止政府在定于 6 月 12 日举行的听证会之前采取任何进一步措施来运营该基金。
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In response, the US Department of Justice stated that it did not agree, but would still comply.
据政府称，该基金的设立是为了帮助那些认为自己是为政治目的不公平使用国家权力的受害者的人们。
司法部表示，该基金“设立是为了弥补对如此多的人不公平地表现出的巨大虐待、伤害和仇恨。”
The government also emphasized that the fund is “open to anyone who has been targeted, targeted, or persecuted, whether Democrat, Republican, conservative, independent, or other.”
The Anti-Weaponization Fund was born from the settlement of Trump’s civil lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the United States tax agency, regarding the leak of his tax reports by a former government contractor.
Wikimedia Capitol building, office of the American parliament
尽管政府表示这些资金旨在帮助不公正的受害者，但反对者表示该计划没有明确的法律依据，公共监督也很少。
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They fear the funds could be used to compensate people close to Trump, including defendants convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol Building by his supporters.
The lawsuit filed in court said the funds were a “collusive agreement” between Trump and his administration, without Congressional authorization, without a clear legal basis, and without adequate accountability mechanisms.
It turns out that this funding controversy does not only come from the Democratic Party. According to US media reports, a number of members of the Republican Party are also worried about the existence of these funds.
Republican leaders in the Senate reportedly even postponed a vote on a bill funding immigration enforcement and border patrol agencies due to concerns that the funding could pave the way for defendants in the January 6 case to receive taxpayer money.
Meanwhile, Axios and a number of US media reported that the Trump administration is now planning to cancel the funds completely. A source quoted by Axios said, “For now, the fund is dead.”
SIn addition to the lawsuit that Brinkema is handling, there are a number of other lawsuits that also seek to stop the funding, including from government watchdog groups and law enforcement officials who clashed with rioters in the Capitol Building incident.
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