The House easily passed a bill that would give Donald Trump and future presidents a bludgeon to target and silence dissenting nonprofits on Thursday, in what opponents warned is a step toward allowing the executive branch to wield unchecked, authoritarian power.
H.R. 9495, nicknamed the “nonprofit killer” by critics, passed 219 to 184 with 15 Democrats voting “yes.” The legislation, which civil liberties groups have said could deliver a huge blow to the rights to free speech and dissent across the U.S., now goes to the Senate for consideration.
The bill would give the Treasury Secretary the ability to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit they deem to be a “terrorist supporting organization” without due process or substantial evidence, effectively dealing most groups a killing blow.
Opponents of the bill have warned that it is the most dangerous piece of supposed “anti-terror” legislation since the PATRIOT Act of 2001.
The bill’s backers have made it clear that the bill is targeted at groups advocating for Palestinian rights, giving presidents the power to even further target Muslim and Arab advocacy groups, which have already long faced repression. Lawmakers voting against it raised alarm that presidential administrations could also use it to crush any other nonprofits it deems fit — especially under Trump, whose avowed goal is to punish his political enemies.
“Authoritarianism is not born overnight. It creeps in,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) in a speech on the House floor before the vote. “A tyrant tightens his grip not just by seizing power, but when he demands new powers and those who can stop him willingly cede and bend to his........