1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

H.R. 9495 raises concerns about potential abuse of power and violations of free speech protections. While the stated goal of preventing financial support for terrorist groups is laudable, the broad authority granted to the Executive Branch to unilaterally designate and revoke the tax-exempt status of organizations risks being wielded as a tool to suppress ideological dissent rather than address legitimate security threats. Existing laws already criminalize providing material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations. Furthermore, terminating an organization's tax-exempt status is a severe penalty that should involve thorough due process and clearly defined standards of evidence. The proposed procedures for making these determinations based on potentially classified information, with limited avenues for judicial review, undermine principles of government transparency and accountability. Before proceeding, stronger safeguards should be instituted to protect civil liberties and ensure this authority cannot be misused to target peaceful advocacy groups over political disagreements. Ultimately, this legislation appears redundant and its potential for abuse may outweigh any marginal benefits in combating terrorist financing beyond current laws. I urge reconsideration of this approach in favor of measures that directly criminalize the funding of terrorist activities through existing criminal sanctions, rather than jeopardizing constitutional protections through an overly broad administrative process. Public trust in anti-terrorism efforts hinges on maintaining rigorous standards of due process and civil liberties.