Two Republican senators dropped their opposition to Todd Blanche's nomination for US attorney general on August 4, 2026, after Blanche formally ended a Department of Justice compensation fund that had drawn bipartisan backlash. The Senate Judiciary Committee was due to vote on the nomination the same morning, following a one-week delay. The Guardian

Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina said they look forward to voting to advance Blanche's nomination out of committee. The two senators had sought concessions from the DOJ and the White House relating to President Donald Trump's settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service, and had refused to back Blanche's bid for the permanent attorney general post without official confirmation that the fund was being eliminated. The Guardian

Blanche issued a written order late Sunday ending the fund after days of negotiations with the Republican senators. He repeatedly stated the Justice Department was scrapping plans for the fund. The fund had sparked bipartisan outcry over the possibility that violent rioters who attacked police at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 could be considered for payments. The Guardian

The deal removes the last Republican hold on a nomination that had appeared on a glide path before the August recess, according to Republican insiders. The White House formally sent Blanche's nomination to the Senate on June 8, 2026, and the Senate Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings on July 15 and 16. Senator Dick Durbin entered a statement into the congressional record noting he had voted against Blanche's confirmation as Deputy Attorney General a year earlier. The Guardian; The White House; Ballotpedia

Blanche, who served as the 40th Deputy Attorney General and has been serving as Acting Attorney General, told lawmakers the anti-weaponization fund was dead during his hearings. A coalition of law enforcement organizations endorsed him for the permanent role, and veterans, legal scholars, and editorial boards had urged his confirmation. The White House released a statement on July 31 urging the Senate to confirm him without delay. The White House; The White House; The White House

The broader context here is one of institutional friction within the Justice Department's leadership structure. Blanche, President Trump's former personal lawyer, has been navigating the dual challenge of securing Senate confirmation while managing the political fallout from policy initiatives tied to the Trump administration. The compensation fund, which had been described by Blanche during testimony as scrapped, became a flashpoint when Cornyn and Tillis demanded formal confirmation of its elimination rather than verbal assurances. The written order issued late Sunday provided the concrete action the senators required. Reuters; Reuters

The confirmation fight also unfolded against a busy legislative and political backdrop. The Senate voted 89-4 to take up a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through December 11. A coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration over new tariffs pegged at 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners. Trump declined to call for Representative Max Miller's resignation following allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife Emily Moreno, and Trump accused US Attorney Jeanine Pirro of having "folded like an umbrella" after she dropped vandalism charges against a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Michigan voters were also deciding a Democratic Senate primary between a progressive candidate advocating for universal healthcare and an establishment-backed moderate. The Guardian

For expert observers tracking this nomination, the dynamic between Cornyn, Tillis, and the DOJ reveals the leverage individual senators can exert over executive branch appointments when they coordinate demands around specific policy concessions. The fact that two Republican senators withheld support from a Republican president's nominee for the nation's top law enforcement post, and secured a written policy change as a condition of their votes, illustrates the ongoing tensions between the White House and Capitol Hill over the Justice Department's direction. The elimination of the compensation fund, particularly given the bipartisan concern about potential payments to January 6 rioters, represents a notable policy reversal secured through the confirmation process rather than through standalone legislation or executive action.