1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I strongly oppose H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. While assisting unlawfully detained Americans is a noble goal, this bill goes too far in terminating the tax-exempt status of organizations accused of providing even minimal support to certain groups. This provision undermines due process and could be abused to target legitimate organizations based on flimsy evidence. The procedures outlined for revoking an organization's tax-exempt status are opaque and lack proper oversight. This bill threatens freedom of association and could have a chilling effect on civil society groups. Instead of this overreaching approach, we should explore more targeted measures to aid American hostages without sacrificing fundamental rights and civil liberties. I urge you to vote against this misguided legislation.