A federal judge has stopped the Trump administration from moving forward with a controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund established through a recent deal with the Internal Revenue Service.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia issued the temporary block on Friday, preventing the White House from taking any action to set up or operate the fund while she considers further legal arguments in the case.
The fund, which Trump has characterized as addressing what he calls government weaponization, emerged from a settlement agreement between the administration and the IRS. The judge's order restricts the administration's ability to move forward with the initiative until the court can hear additional evidence and legal positions from both sides.
The temporary injunction marks a significant legal challenge to one of the administration's new financial commitments, leaving the status of the settlement funds uncertain as litigation continues.
Author James Rodriguez: "This is the kind of swift judicial pushback that tends to complicate any executive branch spending plans, settlement or otherwise."
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