Schumer says Democrats will force Senate votes to block Trump's DOJ 'lawfare' fund

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., conducts a news conference in the U.S. Capitol about Senate Republicans postponing of the vote on the budget reconciliation bill on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., said Monday that Democrats will force Republicans to vote on a controversial " weaponization " legal relief fund pushed by President Donald Trump . The fund aimed at compensating victims of what the administration calls " lawfare " has become a political flashpoint on Capitol Hill, sparking rare Republican criticism of Trump from within his political party. Democrats are now seeking to turn that into a bazooka to force Republicans to defend the program or vote to kill it. "This week, Senate Democrats will launch a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door," Schumer wrote in a "Dear Colleague" letter sent Monday to Senate Democrats . "And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote."