1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Please reject H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act. This broad and far-reaching bill has too much potential for abuse to curb free speech and censor political opposition. Thank you for your time and consideration. 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.