Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling for the immediate cancellation of the new Anti-Weaponization fund. The fund itself has stirred significant debate among Republicans on Capitol Hill. The push to scrap this initiative comes as the administration faces scrutiny over the $1.776 billion pool of money, which was initially established as part of a settlement involving President Trump and the IRS.
CBS News reported that Pence made his position on the matter crystal clear during an appearance on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. The former vice president was present at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to certify the electoral votes when he was forced to evacuate. He stated, “The idea of creating a fund that could compensate people who assaulted police officers and vandalized the Capitol that day is totally unacceptable.”
The fund recently became the subject of a heated conference meeting among Senate Republicans, ultimately forcing GOP leadership to abandon their plans to fund immigration enforcement. Pence noted that he’s encouraged by the pushback. “My hope is the administration will drop it, drop the idea entirely,” he said. “People that assaulted police officers on Jan. 6, and vandalized our Capitol should not get one dime of taxpayer money from that fund or anywhere else.”
Pence took the opportunity to address broader concerns
In a separate interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, he argued that the current administration has departed from the traditional conservative principles that have long defined the Republican Party.
He described these core values as an “agenda of American leadership, limited government, free market economics, the right to life.” While he acknowledged that the president has been good on some of these issues in the past, he expressed worry that the current path is a significant shift away from the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
Pence told Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker that he still believes the average Republican voter aligns with these traditional values. He suggested that if the party remains committed to these time-honored principles, voters will continue to rally to the cause.
That being said, he was clear about his frustration with the current state of affairs. “I think in many respects Republicans have lost our way, but Democrats have lost their mind, and I think the reason why we’re going to hold the Senate, and we have a real shot to hold the House, is because of the extremism on the Democratic side,” he remarked.
Regarding the anti-weaponization fund specifically, he told NBC News, “I think that the weaponization fund is a bad idea from the start, and I would encourage the administration just to drop it.” He added, “I mean, it’s deeply offensive to me that you could have a fund that could even possibly compensate people who assaulted police officers or vandalized the Capitol on Jan. 6, and I think that’s broadly held by most Republicans and most Americans.”
The legal status of the fund remains in flux. On Friday, a federal judge issued a temporary order barring the Justice Department from moving forward with the initiative, though the DOJ maintains confidence in its legality. Meanwhile, Pence continues to push back against what he views as an effort to rewrite history regarding the events of January 6.
He expressed his disdain for a timeline released by the White House on the anniversary of the attack, which he claims blamed the Capitol Hill police for the riot. “Look, I’m very confident of the judgment of history in the years ahead, about our role, about all the Republicans and Democrats who returned that day after Capitol Police secured the Capitol, and we all did our duty under the Constitution,” Pence said.
He remains firm in his belief that such attempts to reframe the events of that day will not succeed in the long run.
Published: Jun 2, 2026 06:15 am