House Again Moves to Pass “Nonprofit Killer” Bill Giving Trump “Unchecked Power”
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.........
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