At a moment when working families across America are struggling to afford the basics of daily life, President Donald Trump has chosen to reward his political allies with a $1.78 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund. The arrangement is so corrupt and so contemptuous of ordinary Americans that it demands the full and unrelenting outrage of every working person in this country.
The scheme, negotiated directly between Trump’s own lawyers and lawyers from Trump’s handpicked, loyalty-first administration, would give taxpayer money to Trump allies who claim to be victims of the “weaponization of government,” in connection with lawful investigations conducted by the previous administration, and the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the violent, deadly January 6th attack on the United States Capitol.
The commission would have five members, four appointed by the attorney general, and Trump would have the right to remove any of them without cause, and the commission would not have to disclose how it decides to allot the money.
This all comes as inflation outpaces wage growth, grocery prices hit a four-year high, gas prices average over $4.50 a gallon, electricity prices spike, shelter costs rise, the average Affordable Care Act marketplace premium jumps by 114%, and employer-sponsored family premiums are projected to grow the most they have in fifteen years.
And then there is this: new reporting from NOTUS last week revealed that Donald Trump has turned the White House into his personal trading floor, buying and selling millions of dollars’ worth of stock in technology companies and government contractors, all while his administration handed out billion-dollar contracts and favorable regulatory decisions to those very same companies. A sitting president is using the most powerful office in the world to enrich himself, making stock trades that align with government actions his own administration controls, all while working-class Americans struggle to afford the basics.
“This is an obscene and unforgivable abuse of taxpayer dollars at a time of genuine crisis for working families, and every American should be furious. Trump does not think about the financial situation of ordinary Americans; he said so himself. Now he’s made it crystal clear that his only concern is the approval of his rich, out-of-touch allies, his billionaire friends, and the extremists who followed his instructions to storm the Capitol five years ago,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “This slush fund has no independent oversight, no accountability, and no transparency. It’s just a president using the federal government to reward people loyal to him, funded by taxpayers who are already stretched beyond their limits. These are the exact priorities that will drive voters to the polls this November and ensure that Republicans lose their majorities in Congress.”
Published: May 19, 2026