A group of Democratic lawmakers gathered Tuesday evening to defeat a controversial bill that would have given President-elect Donald Trump extensive powers to censor and punish his political adversaries.
Despite previous bipartisan backing, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would have allowed the Treasury Department to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit labeled as a “terrorist supporting organization,” faced opposition from Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. Doggett led the charge against the bill, citing concerns about Trump’s intentions.
“All of us support stopping terrorism,” Doggett stated. “[But] if he is on a march to make America fascist, we do not need to supply Donald Trump with any additional weapons to accomplish his ill purpose.”
In a House of Representatives vote, 145 Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill, preventing it from passing under “suspension of the rules.”
An earlier version of the bill had received nearly unanimous approval in the House before stalling in the Senate. It was revived as H.R. 9495 with similar language and combined with a provision for tax relief for American hostages held abroad.
“H.R. 9495 is a repackaged version of legislation that was originally filed months ago with good intentions, including some of my Democratic colleagues,” Doggett remarked before the vote. “With Trump’s election, the conditions have changed; the dangers of granting additional power to him are far outweighed by any benefits from this bill.”
The bill would have allowed the Treasury secretary to designate nonprofit groups as supporters of terrorism, leading to the loss of their tax-exempt status. Critics argued that it would harm nonprofits even if they successfully appealed the designation.
Opponents of the bill emphasized that providing material support for terrorism is already illegal under U.S. law, questioning the necessity of the proposed measures.
Advocates for civil liberties, including the American Civil Liberties Union, strongly opposed the bill, expressing concerns that it could target pro-Palestine groups.
Supporters of the bill defended it as a tool to combat terrorism, arguing that only wrongdoers would be impacted.
During the debate, Democrats, including members of the Squad, voiced their opposition to the bill, with concerns about its implications under a potentially authoritarian administration.
The majority of Democrats ultimately voted against the bill, despite previous support for its earlier version. Only a few Democrats, including Rep. Henry Cuellar and Ritchie Torres, supported the bill.
The bill’s fate remains uncertain, with its supporters considering how to proceed in future legislative sessions.
However, despite the rallying of Democratic opposition and the loss of a Democratic co-sponsor, it seems unlikely that the legislation will enjoy its previous bipartisan support, as noted by Kia Hamadanchy, a senior policy counsel with the ACLU.
“We will stay vigilant as we anticipate its possible return in the future,” Hamadanchy stated to The Intercept. “But the House has made it clear that there will be no expedited process for this bill, and we will continue our ongoing opposition.”
Source link
