The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on a 12-10 party-line vote after two Republican holdouts received written confirmation that the Justice Department would not create a $1.8 billion compensation fund. His confirmation prospects on the Senate floor remained uncertain. The Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 to advance Blanche. Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis backed the nomination after receiving written assurances.
Blanche ordered that the proposed compensation fund would not proceed. The fund had been connected to settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The cited reporting attributes statements to the officials or organizations making them and keeps those claims separate from events independently observed or documented.
A committee recommendation sends a nomination to the full Senate but does not confirm the nominee. Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer and is now acting attorney general. Senators have also debated whether a future order could revive a similar payment mechanism. That background explains the stakes without resolving the decisions or outcomes still pending.
Senator Susan Collins said she would oppose Blanche on the floor. Blanche could lose only a small number of Republican votes if Democrats remained united against him. Dates, counts and legal status remain tied to the source record because later updates may revise preliminary information.
The evidentiary limit is specific: The timing of the floor vote and the positions of several undecided senators were not settled. This report therefore does not infer motive, causation, final totals, legal outcome or implementation beyond the available evidence.
The next concrete developments are public commitments from undecided senators and the text and timing of any full Senate vote. Those records will show whether the reported development changes policy, operations or public risk.
Taken together, the verified record is narrower than the broadest claims surrounding the story. The Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 to advance Blanche. Republican senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis backed the nomination after receiving written assurances. Blanche ordered that the proposed compensation fund would not proceed. The fund had been connected to settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Senator Susan Collins said she would oppose Blanche on the floor. Blanche could lose only a small number of Republican votes if Democrats remained united against him. The context is equally important: A committee recommendation sends a nomination to the full Senate but does not confirm the nominee. Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer and is now acting attorney general. Senators have also debated whether a future order could revive a similar payment mechanism. This synthesis preserves what is known while keeping the stated limits visible.