Call to Action – HR9495

The ‘‘Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act”

HR9495 is up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives today on the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, a bill that would give the Treasury Department new power to muzzle, punish, and effectively shut down tax-exempt organizations without transparency or appropriate due process.

This legislation would impact a wide range of tax-exempt organizations, including nonprofits, universities, and even news outlets. This means organizations like SDARJ and organizations we work with, such as ACLU and Planned Parenthood could be stripped of their non-profit status after an accusation that they have supported terrorist organizations. 

The Treasury Secretary would have the power to strip their tax-exempt status, without due process. The department doesn’t have to provide evidence or hold a hearing, it merely has to provide the organization an opportunity “to cure,” that is to provide evidence that it is not supporting a terrorist organization, that the Treasury Secretary would have the unilateral power to accept or reject.

Let’s not give the executive branch of our government a weapon that could be used against groups on the entire ideological spectrum.

Call or email our representative, Lisa Blunt Rochester, and urge her to vote no on this bill. Washington, DC Office, (202) 225-4165; Wilmington Office, (302) 830-2330 or send an email at her website.

https://bluntrochester.house.gov/contact/officeinformation.htm