This morning, the federal House of Representatives voted 219-184 to pass H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. The bill, framed as an anti-terrorism bill, would give the president, via the Secretary of the Treasury, the power to revoke the nonprofit status of advocacy organizations, news outlets, schools, they decide, at their discretion, are “terrorist-supporting organizations.”
“This bill is called a nonprofit killer for a reason: It would empower an incoming administration with well-documented authoritarian tendencies to attack nonprofit organizations providing vital services to people and communities that don’t align with the president’s political ideology,” said Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center. “The abuse of counter-terrorism measures to attack domestic opponents is common in authoritarian regimes globally and this abuse is now knocking on our country’s door, risking core American freedoms of speech, association, and dissent. This is not speculation. It is a clear and present danger.”
President-elect Trump has promised vengeance against the “radical left,” telling CPAC attendees in 2023: “In 2016, I declared I am your voice. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.”
In a 2024 report on this type of legal abuse, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner “condemned the rampant weaponisation of overly-broad terrorism offenses against civil society, including political opponents, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, minorities, and students.”
“The Senate must reject this bill as an unconstitutional threat to free speech and debate,” said Schlenker-Goodrich. “Handing any president the power to suppress political dissent and protest runs against the core of our country’s values–including the freedom to challenge federal overreach. We do take solace in the fact that roughly 40 fewer Democrats voted for this bill today than voted for it last week, when it failed. That shows strong momentum, and should give us all hope the Senate will block this extreme bill. If that happens, we will celebrate. But we will also remain vigilant as we expect this bill to be the tip of the spear wielded against people and communities who oppose the incoming administration’s policies.”
Contact:
Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, 575-751-0351, gro.w1732229908alnre1732229908tsew@1732229908gskir1732229908e1732229908
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