Dear editor,
Last week Rep. Darin LaHood voted for HR 9495. This bill would give Trump and his Treasury Department sweeping authority to label U.S. Nonprofits as "terrorist-supporting organizations" with no oversight, due process, just unilateral power. (it’s in Section 4(B)) Political Targeting. Nonprofits advocating for human rights, environmental protection, reproductive rights, and other critical issues could lose their tax-exempt status.
Chilling effect: This broad and vague authority could intimidate organizations and stifle advocacy work. Nonprofits would risk financial ruin just for standing up for our basic rights and freedoms. Played out to the extreme, your grandma who has been donating to Sierra Club or to Feed the Children could find herself facing 20 years for supporting a "terrorist -supporting organization" The bill was killed in the House, but there is a push for another vote this week. Tell Darin LaHood to vote no. Protect our rights and freedoms!
-Alice Brigade, Rochelle
