1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I strongly oppose H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. This bill contains concerning provisions that could undermine democratic principles and civil liberties. The proposed ability for the Secretary of the Treasury to unilaterally designate organizations as "terrorist supporting" and terminate their tax-exempt status is rife for abuse and overreach. Such sweeping powers concentrated in the hands of a single official, without robust due process protections, poses a threat to freedom of association and opens the door to the targeting of legitimate dissenting voices under the guise of counterterrorism efforts. Moreover, allowing the use of classified evidence that organizations cannot effectively contest sets a disturbing precedent that runs counter to principles of open justice and fair trials. The rights enshrined in the Constitution must be safeguarded even when pursuing laudable goals like combating terrorism financing. While protecting American hostages is a noble cause, the means proposed in this legislation come at too high a cost to cherished democratic values and threaten to erode the checks and balances so crucial to a free society. I urge reconsideration of these overreaching and anti-democratic provisions that risk sending us down a perilous path. Protecting democracy itself must remain the highest priority.