Suozzi proposes bill that would block fund for Jan. 6 defendants

WASHINGTON — Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi teamed with a Republican on a bill to block President Donald Trump’s planned $1.8 billion payout fund to his allies who claim they were victims of politically targeted prosecutions, such as those tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) introduced his "Bipartisan Transparency For American Taxpayers Act" with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) — his fellow Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair — on Thursday.

The Trump administration has explained the fund’s creation comes after a settlement between Trump and the Internal Revenue Service over a lawsuit involving the leak of his tax returns. Payouts could allow anyone who has accused the federal government of politically motivated "lawfare" — such as Jan. 6 defendants — to seek compensation.

In a statement, Suozzi said allowing the so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund" created by the Department of Justice "to pay off Jan. 6 criminals and other maladjusted minions" would be a "dangerous precedent."

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Thursday postponed plans for the Senate to begin voting this week on a budget reconciliation bill that includes $72 billion for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol agencies.

The postponement stemmed partly from controversy over including language tied to the fund. Another rift within the Senate GOP's majority was whether to include money for the U.S. Secret Service that could be used to build Trump’s 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom.

Republican senators met with acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday to finalize the bill's text and to set parameters and rules for the payout fund, but senators left the meeting saying there remained questions and concerns.

Now, instead of a taking an expected vote on the larger bill, Thune has sent senators back to their home districts, as members are eager to break for the start of the event-packed Memorial Day weekend. The decision to postpone the vote means they would miss Trump’s June 1 deadline to sign the larger bill into law.

"The only way for Republicans to get out of this box is to stop backing the slush fund, stop pushing the ballroom," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded Thursday to Thune's decision. "As soon as we get back, join Democrats in fighting to lower Americans' costs on healthcare, on housing, on power, on childcare and on so much else, and to join us in fighting the corruption that Trump just revels in."

Schumer had earlier warned Democrats will be using Senate rules and parliamentary moves to force Republicans "to vote on amendment after amendment about Trump’s ballroom, about Trump’s corrupt slush fund, and the rising costs of Trump’s war."

In Suozzi’s congressional district, Phillip Grillo, a Queens Republican who was convicted of obstructing a federal proceeding for entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots — and then was pardoned by Trump — is running for state Assembly. Grillo said he considered applying for such compensation from the fund — money he said he would then share with charities or other causes.

"I’ll debate Tom Suozzi over this fund," Grillo said in an interview with Newsday when told of Suozzi’s planned bill. "Anytime. Anywhere."

There is already a Democratic bill to shut down the payout fund. But some Republican backing is needed for it to pass in the GOP-led House, and Suozzi and Fitzpatrick worked to produce a bill they said can gain support across the aisle.

"No federal funds ... may be used for the payment of any claim submitted to the Anti-Weaponization Fund, established by the Department of Justice on May 18, 2026," the bill reads.

Suozzi, in his statement, noted costs are rising for gasoline, groceries, utilities and healthcare.

"Instead of fixing those problems," he said, "the President seems fixated going around the Congress to settle personal scores and make Americans pay for it." He called that "unacceptable."