Lawmakers in the House are once again moving to pass a dangerous bill, nicknamed the “nonprofit killer” by opponents, that would give Donald Trump and future presidents wide leeway to attack nonprofit groups that the presidential administration views as ideological foes.
The bill, H.R. 9495, is slated for a markup in committee on Monday that will likely be followed by a floor vote requiring a simple majority vote to pass, potentially this week.
Numerous advocacy and rights groups have warned that the bill is extremely dangerous as it would give the Treasury Secretary the power to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit that it deems a “terrorist supporting organization,” with little need for evidence.
This could be ruinous for many groups — especially those who advocate for Palestinian rights — and damaging to free speech and press rights, as any nonprofit, including news outlets and civil rights groups, could be targeted under the legislation. Arab and Muslim advocacy groups in particular have long been plagued by racist “terrorist” labels that serve solely to suppress such voices, often violently.
“This bill would increase the powers of the president at the expense of all of our freedoms, and could impact not only organizations like Oxfam, but other non-profits, news outlets, or even universities who dare to dissent,” Oxfam America President and CEO Abby Maxman said in a statement on Friday.
“This bill follows the same playbook Oxfam has seen other governments around the world use to crush dissent. Now we are seeing it here at home,” Maxman went on.
Last week, the bill failed to pass a two-thirds majority vote when Republicans tried to push the legislation through under a suspension of the House rules. The vote failed with 256 in favor, including 52 Democrats, and 145 against; under a simple majority vote, the bill would have easily passed. The pro-Israel lobby has pushed for the bill’s passage.
Some Democrats had opposed the bill because of Trump’s reelection, fearing that it would give the administration even more power amid the right’s planned executive power grab under Trump. However, the bill could be dangerous in the hands of any administration, Republican or Democrat, considering Democrats’ embrace of fascist language and repression of dissent that has been on full display amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have urged lawmakers to vote against the bill. In September, the ACLU and over 150 other tax-exempt groups wrote to Congress to oppose the bill, and last week, in a joint statement released after the bill failed to pass, a coalition of Arab and Muslim advocacy groups urged lawmakers to continue opposing the bill’s passage.
On Friday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) put out a call for Americans to contact their representatives and ask them to vote “no” on the bill — especially if their representative was one of the 52 Democrats who voted “yes.“ CAIR has warned that the bill would give “unchecked power“ to presidents.
“Opponents of H.R. 9495 — the ‘nonprofit killer’ bill — are ready for round two. This bill threatens not only American Muslim and Palestinian nonprofits, but any civic or faith-based organization or house of worship advocating for politically-sensitive issues,” said the group’s government affairs director, Robert S. McCaw. “Monday’s vote is critical — every American must urge their lawmakers to reject this dangerous attack on free speech and due process.”
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