{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://pettersen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1808", "Rep. Pettersen Introduces Legislation to Stop Trump\u2019s $1.78B Anti-Weaponization Slush Fund", "2026-07-21", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Brittany Pettersen", "P000620", "pettersen.house.gov", "pettersen", "https://pettersen.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) today announced her legislation that would ban Trump\u2019s effort to use taxpayer funding to compensate convicted January 6th insurrectionists and others who were charged and convicted of crimes during the Biden Administration. The Weaponization Claims Ban Act specifically blocks the fund by making claims made under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), a backdoor method to be awarded these payments, illegal.\n\nPettersen\u2019s effort comes as the Administration continues to dodge questions around the fund, with even Republican senators today seeking written answers to their questions.\n\n\u201cWhile American families are struggling to pay for housing, gas, and groceries, this President is trying to pay out our taxpayer dollars to insurrectionists. Everyday Americans are working hard and following the law. But Trump said it himself \u2014 he doesn\u2019t think about our financial situations. He\u2019s too busy settling his political scores and using our money to do it,\u201d said Rep. Pettersen. \u201cTime and again, we have seen that we cannot trust this Administration. I\u2019m fighting for accountability and to ensure your hard-earned money is not used to reward the people who stormed the Capitol.\u201d\n\nIn May, the Trump Administration\u2019s Department of Justice unveiled a nearly $1.8 billion slush fund as part of a settlement agreement, contingent upon the President withdrawing a $10 billion legal challenge against the IRS concerning the disclosure of his personal tax records. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the initiative was designed to offer financial awards, public admissions of wrongdoing, and compensation to individuals the administration characterized as being targeted by the former government\u2019s alleged political weaponization, like former Mesa County, Colorado County Clerk, Tina Peters, and rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to subvert the 2020 election.\n\nFollowing its introduction, the fund encountered immediate judicial hurdles and intense congressional opposition, which ultimately resulted in the initiative's termination. However, the DOJ has resisted calls to offer formal, sworn declarations from its high-ranking leadership to guarantee that this illegitimate $1.8 billion slush fund will not be established. Lawmakers, including Rep. Pettersen, have grown concerned that after President Trump\u2019s national address last week \u2014 where he again hammered baseless claims about the 2020 election, aired personal grievances about investigations and political opponents, and cast doubt on the integrity of the upcoming November election \u2014 individuals like Tina Peters are being emboldened to seek taxpayer\u2011funded remedies through channels that were never intended for this purpose.\n\nRecent reports show that legal counsel for numerous January 6 defendants\u2014as well as individuals attempting to overturn election results\u2014are signaling plans to pursue awards under the FTCA. These individuals' pursuit of retribution has increased in the wake of Trump\u2019s unlawful Anti\u2011Weaponization Fund being terminated.\n\nPettersen has also consistently fought for accountability, and against the Trump Administration\u2019s aims to subvert the Constitution, and its election denial claims. She is a member of the Financial Services Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, and consistently fights for good governance and the effective use of taxpayer dollars. In June, Congresswoman Pettersen led a letter with Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, demanding answers about these backdoor payments. They have not received a response to their request.\n\nFull text of the legislation is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-22T07:34:13Z", "2026-07-22T07:35:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://pettersen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1808"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0147422328591347, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}