The Trump administration’s Justice Department (DOJ) is “finalizing a deal” to secure a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded settlement from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), ABC News reported on Saturday, but a new detail flagged by ABC News’ Katherine Faulders has left some onlookers stunned.The deal stems from a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS in response to his tax returns being leaked in 2019. Trump has reportedly agreed to drop the suit in exchange for a $1.7 billion settlement, directed toward a fund dedicated to “settle claims brought by anyone who alleges they were harmed by the Biden administration’s ‘weaponization’ of the legal system,” ABC News previously reported.And on Saturday, ABC News uncovered new details about Trump’s reported plan, including the name of the fund and its symbolic settlement amount.“The Department of Justice is finalizing a deal to launch a so-called ‘Truth and Justice Commission’ and establish a compensation fund of $1,776,000,000,” ABC News reported, revealing that Trump’s DOJ is seeking to secure exactly $1.776 billion in taxpayer dollars to symbolically mirror the United States’ declaration of independence from Great Britain.The revelation left some onlookers floored.“We are lost as a nation,” wrote University of North Georgia Professor Matthew Boedy, reacting to the DOJ’s efforts to secure a symbolic $1.776 billion in taxpayer dollars. “More than gross.”We are lost as a nation. More than gross. https://t.co/eu56ghLdYt— Matthew Boedy (@MatthewBoedy) May 16, 2026