Chosen Family of Michigan joins with the fight against HR 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act.
In name, it sounds great to be against terrorism. However, this bill would allow the Secretary of the Treasury, who is appointed by the President and serves within the Cabinet, to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit they deem as “terrorism supporting.” The organization has 90 days to submit evidence to the Secretary that they are not supporting terrorism, but the Secretary determines whether or not the evidence is satisfactory. Further, the Secretary does not need to provide any evidence or explanation. The language of the bill is vague, and organizations like CFM are incredibly worried that anti-LGBTQ+ administrations could use this to target nonprofit groups for political reasons. This bill in its current form violates the due process rights of nonprofit organizations.
The other portion of the bill would postpone tax-filing deadlines for Americans and their spouses who are wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad. While we fully support this portion of the bill, the Senate has already passed this, and the House simply needs to pass the Senate version.
In order to receive tax-exempt status, nonprofits must fall under one of many pre-approved IRS categories. Once approved, the nonprofit can lose their tax-exempt status if their work is not within the scope of what they received their tax-exempt status for. These mechanisms, in addition to other laws that prevent Americans and American-based organizations from supporting terrorism, already protect our national security, when properly enforced.
This bill is not only unnecessary but could be used as a political tool to target domestic dissent with its vague language and expansive powers granted to the Executive branch, without the need to show evidence, provide reasoning, or due process.
We urge Congress to firmly reject this bill.
Help us continue to fight by making a tax-deductible donation at chosenfamilyofmichigan.org
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