WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed is joining with Senate Democratic leaders in vowing to block President Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion ‘MAGA grievance slush fund’ and any similar self-dealing slush fund before any U.S. taxpayer money goes out the door.

Senate Democrats are united in opposing this corruption and are planning to use reconciliation, appropriations, floor action, and oversight to block any such taxpayer-funded, non-transparent Trump payoffs and force Republicans on the record: stand with taxpayers, or stand with Trump’s brazenly corrupt slush fund.

The controversial slush fund was announced last month as part of an illegitimate settlement of Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency the president controls through his appointees. Trump sued the IRS because during his first term, an IRS-contractor that his own Administration hired, leaked the tax returns of several wealthy individuals, including President Trump, showing that they paid little to no federal taxes from 2015 through 2020. The induvial who improperly accessed and released these tax returns was prosecuted and sentenced to jail. No other persons who had their tax information leaked received any such monetary damages from the federal government.

Today, Senator Reed stated:

“What President Trump is attempting to do here is abuse his power, create a corrupt partisan slush fund, and use it to further undermine the rule of law. This stunningly corrupt extrajudicial scheme must be halted. President Trump and his lawyers who thought they could pull an end run on the judicial system must now reckon with the U.S. Senate. Democrats are united and will do everything we can to protect tax payers and flush the Trump slush fund.”

During a May 19 hearing before the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Subcommittee, Senator Reed tore into Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for attempting to dodge and deflect about the swindling of nearly $1.8 billion from U.S. taxpayers to create a political slush fund for President Donald Trump.