WATCH: Sen. Merkley questions Blanche in Justice Department budget hearing

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., questioned acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday in a hearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. Blanche was invited to testify on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request for the Justice Department, but was expected to face questions on a number of issues. On Monday, the Justice Department announced an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement with Trump to end a lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns. The nearly $1.8 billion fund would offer payouts to Trump allies who claim they had been unfairly targeted by the Justice Department under the Biden administration. Government watchdogs and Democratic lawmakers blasted the creation of the fund as corruption, saying it could reward – with taxpayer money – people who had helped storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, among others. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok:   / pbsnews   X:   / newshour   Instagram:   / newshour   Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour