1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the newly announced $1.7 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” connected to the resolution of President Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Public reporting indicates that the fund could distribute taxpayer money to people claiming political targeting, including Trump allies and January 6 defendants, through a structure arising from litigation brought by President Trump himself. This raises a serious constitutional question: may a President use litigation against his government to create a taxpayer-funded compensation system benefiting political supporters? CONGRESS MUST DEFEND ITS POWER OF THE PURSE The Constitution gives Congress, not the President, authority over federal spending. Executive settlements cannot become substitute appropriations systems. If taxpayer money is distributed through a politically controlled settlement structure without explicit Congressional authorization, Congress’s power of the purse is weakened. That would create a precedent future presidents of either party could use. TAXPAYER MONEY MUST NOT REWARD POLITICAL ALLIES Legitimate misconduct claims should be handled through legal procedures authorized by Congress and subject to neutral oversight. They should not be processed through a politically controlled structure tied to the President’s own litigation against the federal government. Americans struggling with rising costs should not finance compensation systems benefiting politically connected groups. Reports that commission members could be appointed or removed through executive authority, combined with limited transparency concerns, make oversight necessary. AMERICANS DESERVE FULL TRANSPARENCY Taxpayers deserve to know who receives money, how eligibility is determined, what legal authority authorizes payments, whether Congress appropriated funds, and what safeguards prevent favoritism. No president should be permitted to transform settlements into a politically influenced compensation system financed by taxpayers. CONGRESS MUST ACT NOW If Congress permits this precedent to stand, future administrations could use executive settlements to reward politically connected groups. That would weaken separation of powers, erode Congress’s authority, and damage public trust in equal treatment under law. I ask you to: 1. Publicly oppose this fund unless Congress explicitly authorizes it. 2. Act immediately to suspend, rescind, defund, or block implementation unless Congress authorizes it through normal appropriations. 3. Hold oversight hearings involving the Department of Justice, Treasury Department, and Internal Revenue Service. 4. Require production of settlement documents, legal memoranda, communications, and funding authorities. 5. Support legislation prohibiting settlements from substituting for Congressional appropriations. 6. Require public disclosure of funding sources, eligibility rules, recipients, and oversight procedures. Thank you.