1. United States
2. Ky.
3. Letter

I'm urging you to oppose H.R. 9495, the so-called "Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act." This bill would grant sweeping and unilateral power to the Secretary of the Treasury to designate any nonprofit organization as a "terrorist supporting organization" and revoke its tax-exempt status without due process. This legislation poses a grave threat to civil liberties and freedom of speech, particularly for organizations that criticize U.S. foreign policy or support Palestinian rights. While the bill's supporters claim it targets terrorist financing, its broad language could enable the targeting of legitimate nonprofits based solely on ideological disagreements. As a coalition of Arab American and Muslim organizations warned, the bill risks "criminalizing organizations and activists who oppose the U.S.'s unconditional support of Israel's actions against Palestinians." Despite this bill's concerning implications, House Republicans are pushing to ram it through by exploiting a procedural loophole that requires only a simple majority after it initially failed to secure a two-thirds vote on Tuesday. With Trump's reelection galvanizing fears he could weaponize such powers against his critics, we cannot afford to hand him this authority that threatens to stifle dissent and undermine civil society. I urge you to stand against this assault on constitutional freedoms and block H.R. 9495 from advancing any further.