Senate postpones vote on nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general

What This is

• The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed its planned vote to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general.
• Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are withholding support unless the Justice Department gives written assurances about the settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS.
• A central dispute is a proposed roughly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which was described as compensation for people who say the government wrongly targeted them.
• Cornyn and Tillis want the fund formally ended in writing so it cannot be revived later.
• They also want written limits on settlement language that could protect Trump, relatives, or related businesses from IRS tax audits, and they are pressing to narrow who and what years are covered.
• Blanche has said the Justice Department is not moving forward with the fund, but the holdouts say they need binding written language before they will vote to advance him.
• The Justice Department has sent revised or proposed settlement language and says negotiations with senators are ongoing, but the senators say the changes are still not adequate.
• Because the Judiciary Committee is closely divided, one Republican “no” can keep Blanche from being approved by the committee and delay his path to a full Senate vote.
• Trump has said he may temporarily withdraw Blanche’s nomination and keep him as acting attorney general, then submit the nomination again after Cornyn and Tillis leave office.

Why This Matters

• It shows how a few senators can use confirmation votes to force changes in executive-branch deals and written commitments.
• It raises questions about whether the Justice Department is acting independently when it negotiates settlements tied to a sitting president’s personal legal and tax disputes.
• It affects how quickly the administration can install a permanent attorney general, which shapes decisions on investigations, enforcement priorities, and department leadership.
• It tests how much Congress can demand clear, binding limits on government payments and legal protections created through settlements, not new laws.