1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

As a new Trump administration prepares to take over the White House, Congress is on the brink of handing the executive branch new and far reaching powers to silence dissent in the United States. H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, authorizes broad and easily abused new powers for the executive branch. It grants the Secretary of the Treasury virtually unfettered discretion to designate any U.S. nonprofit as a “terrorist supporting organization” and to strip it of its tax-exempt status. The legislation does not require disclosure of the reasons for such a decision or the evidence relied upon to support it, nor would the government be required to provide any evidence in its possession that might undermine its decision. The potential for abuse under H.R. 9495 is immense, as the Trump administration would be handed a tool it could use to curb free speech, censor nonprofit media outlets, target political opponents, and punish disfavored groups across the political spectrum. Moreover, the addition of this authority to the tax code would allow the IRS to explicitly target and harass domestic nonprofits using its investigative authority. This authority could be used to target political opponents through the fear of crippling legal fees, the stigma of the designation, and donors fleeing controversy to stifle dissent, chilling free speech and advocacy. Reject this bill and deny the Trump administration new powers to silence their opposition.