1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

<message> I urge you to oppose H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. This dangerous legislation would grant the Secretary of Treasury unchecked power to arbitrarily investigate and shut down any tax-exempt organization, including news outlets, universities, anti-abortion groups, and civil society groups, by stripping them of their tax-exempt status based solely on accusations of wrongdoing. The freedom to criticize the government without fear of retaliation is a cornerstone of democracy. Granting the executive branch such broad, easily abused authority poses a severe threat to dissent and free speech. Over 130 organizations, spanning human rights, reproductive health, and immigrants' rights groups, have voiced opposition to this bill. Upholding constitutional protections and preserving a robust civic space must take precedence over further expanding the government's ability to silence its critics. This should be a nonpartisan issue but could easily be weaponized by one political party over another or by any presidential administration to essentially create a friendly State Media who will not speak truth to power. </message>