House Bill Would Provide Incoming Trump Administration New Powers to Target Political Enemies
Trump has signaled — and in the past has demonstrated — a willingness to abuse his power to target his political enemies. This week, Congress could make it much easier for him to do so.
President-elect Donald Trump has signaled — and in the past has demonstrated — a willingness to abuse the power of his office to target his political enemies. And this week, Congress could make it much easier for him to do so when he takes office.
In a letter to the House of Representatives, American Oversight and hundreds of other civil society organizations opposed H.R. 9495, a bill that would give the Department of the Treasury the power to unilaterally revoke tax-exempt status from nonprofits it claims are “terrorist supporting organizations.”
The legislation, if enacted, would have an overwhelming chilling effect on free speech. Organizations like civil rights groups, news outlets, and universities that criticize government policies or powerful interests could be in danger of losing their status, with enormous financial and reputational costs.
Troublingly, if an organization were to be designated as “terrorist supporting,” the Treasury can refuse to provide its reasons or evidence under claims of danger to “national security and law enforcement interests,” leaving the organization unable to adequately defend itself against the allegations during the 90-day “cure” period.
While the bill narrowly failed last week, House leadership have teed it up for another vote this week.
Given Trump’s sympathy for authoritarian measures — from stated support for using the military against civil demonstrations to vows to use the U.S. Justice Department to exact retribution against his political enemies — the danger of granting the executive branch such broad authority to go after civil society is clear. Read the letter from the ACLU, American Oversight, and hundreds of other groups.