Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche survived a crucial Senate standoff after rescinding a $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund and narrowing tax audit protections tied to an IRS settlement, winning the support of previously reluctant GOP senators and clearing the path for a likely party-line Judiciary Committee vote to advance his nomination.

It’s official: the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund is, on paper, dead. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche went from a nominee with bleak prospects to one who secured the backing of key Senate Republicans after signing an order on August 2 that rescinded the fund and tightened the scope of tax-audit protections in the May IRS settlement.

Blanche’s path to the top job was messy from the start. He left his private practice in 2023 to serve as Donald Trump’s lead attorney, then moved into government when the Senate confirmed him as deputy attorney general in March 2025, and he was tapped as acting attorney general on April 2 of this year.

Concerns in the Senate centered on whether someone who once worked exclusively as the president’s lawyer could run an independent Department of Justice. Those concerns intensified after Blanche established the fund on May 18 and signed an update that appeared to bar future IRS audits of the Trump family and its businesses, a move that alarmed lawmakers from both parties.

Two Republican Judiciary Committee members, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), initially held out and threatened to oppose advancing the nomination until Blanche formally reversed course. Their objections focused on the fund and the audit protections, arguing that the DOJ should not be perceived as granting permanent immunity to political allies.

As of Sunday, Blanche formally addressed those worries. “My team and I have met with committee members and Senators over the past several weeks and addressed any concerns or outstanding questions,” Blanche said in a statement on Sunday. “We have enjoyed good faith discussions, and as a result issue the following order and update with regard to the May IRS settlement. The Department always welcomes and appreciates engagement with all members of Congress.”

That order rescinded the $1.776 billion mechanism and clarified that tax-related protections apply only to audits that were in progress at the time of the settlement, not to audits that might arise later. The $1.776 billion fund that had been “considered dead” by president trump is now officially dead on paper, and the changes appear to satisfy Cornyn and Tillis.

A representative for Sen. Cornyn confirmed an agreement had been reached and Cornyn intends to support moving Blanche’s nomination out of committee. Sen. Tillis indicated he would follow Cornyn’s lead, leaving the Judiciary Committee vote looking like a 12-10 party-line push to advance the nominee to the Senate floor.

That shift doesn’t erase the broader tension between the White House and GOP senators. The law already allows a deputy to perform the attorney general’s duties during a vacancy indefinitely, so a nomination withdrawal and resubmission remains an option for the administration. Still, advancing the nomination now avoids a public confrontation and placates senators who wanted a clear, on-the-record fix to the IRS settlement questions.

Republican senators who balked at the start can see the political logic here: keep the focus on process reforms and documented commitments rather than let procedural fights dictate leadership choices. Whether this will mend relations between the president and Senate Republicans or remain a one-off accommodation is the open question moving forward.

Process matters to conservatives who want an accountable DOJ that follows the law and treats every citizen the same. By formally rescinding the fund and narrowing the audit protections, Blanche removed the most immediate barrier to his confirmation and gave Senate Republicans a path to assert oversight while advancing a nominee aligned with the administration’s priorities.

The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Tuesday to advance Todd Blanche to the full Senate, most likely along party lines. If the committee vote goes as anticipated, the Senate will be left to decide whether to confirm a leader who says he will cooperate with lawmakers and run the Department in line with conservative principles of law and order.