1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

The proposed Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) would grant the Treasury Secretary sweeping authority to unilaterally revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit organization deemed a "terrorist supporting organization." This represents an alarming overreach of executive power that could be abused to suppress dissent and civil society advocacy. There are serious due process concerns with the legislation, as it does not require any evidence or justification for designating groups as terrorist supporters. The Treasury Secretary could make such determinations unilaterally based on mere accusations, with severe consequences for targeted organizations like loss of funding and reputational damage. This threatens the ability of nonprofits to operate freely, especially those providing humanitarian aid in conflict zones where coordination with certain groups may be unavoidable. While well-intentioned provisions aim to assist American hostages, the lack of safeguards enabling the arbitrary targeting of civil society groups is deeply troubling. A future administration hostile to certain advocacy causes could potentially exploit these broad powers to undermine its political opponents under the guise of counterterrorism. Handing this authority to the executive branch would grievously undermine fundamental American principles of free speech and open discourse. For these reasons, voting against H.R. 9495 is imperative to preserve constitutional checks and balances, due process protections, and civil liberties essential to a healthy democracy. Unfettered discretion to suppress disfavored viewpoints poses an existential threat to the freedoms that define American society.