1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

I urge you not to support H.R. 9495, the "Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act." This bill would empower the Secretary of the Treasury to unilaterally designate any nonprofit organization as a "terrorist supporting organization" and revoke its tax-exempt status. Opponents argue this could suppress free speech by allowing the government to target groups based on their ideology or criticisms of US policies. A broad coalition, including Arab American and Muslim organizations, has condemned the bill as a means to "criminalize organizations and activists who oppose the U.S.'s unconditional support of Israel's actions against Palestinians." While the bill's proponents claim it is needed to crack down on terrorist financing, civil liberties advocates warn it could be abused to silence dissent. Despite bipartisan support, 144 House Democrats recently voted against fast-tracking the bill over fears it could be wielded by the incoming Trump administration against its critics. Allowing the Treasury Secretary such unilateral power to destroy nonprofits poses an unacceptable threat to cherished American freedoms of speech and association. I urge you to carefully weigh these concerns and reject any legislation that could enable viewpoint-based retaliation against civil society organizations.