If passed, this bill would give the Trump administration the power to strip any nonprofit of their tax-exempt status

This bill is a textbook case of authoritarianism, and it has no place here – plain and simple.

Pamela, I'm sure you're receiving dozens of emails about how Donald Trump's second term will threaten democracy – and they're not wrong. But right now, I must alert you to a major threat moving through the U.S. Congress as soon as this week! In just a few hours, Congress will vote on a dangerous bill that would give President-elect Trump – or any future president – the power to SHUT DOWN any nonprofit organization whose First Amendment protected speech they consider a threat to the country. This legislation is one of many we expect to threaten our First Amendment rights and expand Presidential powers at the expense of our democracy. And if passed, it will surely be abused to target any organization that organizes against the White House's policies. It's a textbook case of authoritarianism, and it has no place here – plain and simple. But here's the problem – in a preliminary vote last week, 52 Democrats joined all but one Republican in support. [1] That's why we've sprung into action, because we need to flip enough representatives BEFORE this next vote so we can stop this bill in its tracks. At first glance, H.R. 9495 seems harmless, even helpful. But on paper, this bill gives the Treasury Secretary the power to strip tax-exempt status from nonprofits that have "provided support for terrorist organizations." Let's state the obvious: it's already completely illegal for nonprofits to support terrorism. So, what is the bill actually doing? It allows a Treasury Secretary to strip tax-exempt status from any nonprofit they want with essentially zero due process, zero evidence, and zero explanation of why they're doing it. And in the likely event that Trump appoints a loyalist in the mold of his Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz, this bill would hand them a blank check to take revenge against, and effectively shut down, any nonprofit that he doesn't like – with virtually no oversight! That means that if the Trump Administration wants to retaliate against Common Cause, or any other group that dissents from his anti-democracy agenda, they could take away our non-profit tax status without any justification. It sounds dystopian, but if this bill passes, it'll become all too real. Our best line of defense is our ability to organize, litigate, and protest – all things that this bill and policies supported by the Trump campaign could dismantle. That's why I'm asking you to fuel this fight. Can you chip in $3 to show Congress that we will not stand silent when they try to take away our rights? >> If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: RUSH $3 NOW Pamela, we cannot allow Congress to give Trump, or any president, the ability to take revenge on their political enemies. Thank you for your support, Viki Harrison, Director of Constitutional Convention & Protect Dissent Program and the team at Common Cause P.S. If you haven't yet, there's still time to contact your Representative >> [1] https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024458 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 202.833.1200 https://commoncause.org Common Cause's work to defend and strengthen our democracy is powered by members like you. You can use this link to unsubscribe or let us know you'd like to receive fewer emails from us.

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