California to impose 100% tax on Trump's January 6 'slush fund,' governor says

Source: Reuters

May 27, 2026 7:31 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago


May 27 (Reuters) - California will impose a 100% tax on payments distributed under the Trump administration's nearly $1.8 billion fund for victims of alleged ​political "weaponization," the state's Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday.

"One thing I ‌think we're going to try to do ... is tax 100%. Anyone from California who receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100% of those proceeds ​and that's an action the state of California can take," Newsom ​said. "It's an action we look forward to taking.". In a post ⁠on social media, the governor's press office described the $1.776 billion fund as ​a "slush fund. Newsom did not indicate when the state would start imposing the ​tax.

The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The fund was announced last week as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's legal settlement with ​the Internal Revenue Service after he initially sued the agency over his tax ​returns being leaked to the media.

Trump pardoned more than 1,500 January 6 defendants last ‌year. ⁠Some have now begun to calculate the cost of their prosecution, jail time and businesses lost in the hope of compensation for what they regard as abuses by the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden. The unprecedented move ​is already facing ​a legal challenge by ⁠two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol from rioters on January 6, 2021.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/california-impose-100-tax-trumps-january-6-slush-fund-governor-says-2026-05-27/