Dear MoveOn member,
EMERGENCY: Earlier today, MAGA Republicans in Congress just rammed through legislation that could give Donald Trump the power to destroy organizations that oppose him—including MoveOn.1
Even more terrifying, 15 Democrats voted in favor of the bill.2
The bill, H.R. 9495, gives the Treasury Department—i.e., the Trump administration—unilateral power to declare a nonprofit to be a "terrorist-supporting organization" and strip its tax-exempt status.3 Organizations that oppose him—like MoveOn—could be shut down with just a swipe of a pen from Trump.
While Trump's Cabinet appointees soaked up the news cycle, the House tried to push this thoroughly dangerous bill under the radar last week. MoveOn members and our partners stopped them—in large part because two-thirds of the House was initially needed to pass the bill. But now Speaker Mike Johnson has figured out a new way to require only a simple majority to pass the bill, and the House voted to pass the bill earlier today.
This is a true emergency, Andra. We need to sound the alarm in a major way to stop H.R. 9495 and prevent Trump from shutting down nonprofit organizations! Will you start a $5 monthly donation to power the fight to stop this bill in the Senate, and to combat MAGA's other authoritarian plans, for as long as it takes?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
H.R. 9495 was originally written to attack organizations showing support for Palestinians, and it is a dire threat to nongovernment organizations trying to support the Palestinian people suffering in the current war, but it could give the Trump administration the ability to declare any organization as "supporting terrorists"—with no proof, no burden of evidence, no due process.4,5
More than 150 religious, reproductive health, immigrant rights, human rights, racial justice, LGBTQ+, environmental, and educational organizations, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, have spoken up against this awful bill.6
The House tried to push through the bill with a two-thirds majority procedure last week, and 52 Democrats voted for it.7 Today they needed only a simple majority, and the House passed the bill with the support of 15 Democrats. We cannot allow a MAGA-controlled Senate in January to pass this bill.
Will you start a $5 monthly donation—right now—to stop this terrifying bill from becoming law, protect free speech and our right to protest, and stop Trump's authoritarianism? Your ongoing donation couldn't be more critical.
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
This isn't the first time that Trump or his allies have tried to weaponize the federal government against us.
When we called out the No Labels party for its reckless third-party candidacy, the group filed a Department of Justice complaint against us.8 We've been sued for speaking out against the January 6 insurrection.9
This bill is different. If it passes, it has the possibility to silence not only MoveOn but also any organization that Trump targets. And considering his history of retribution, we know he won't miss out on this opportunity to try to shut us down. It's an especially frightening prospect given Trump's previous attempt to designate anti-MAGA protesters and pro-Palestinian advocates as terrorists, and to vilify those he disagrees with as the "enemy from within."10
Now we are flooding the Senate with calls to make it very clear that we will not abide by this attack on our First Amendment rights. We need to step up before it's too late. At the same time, we must gear up our internal infrastructure to prevent against politically motivated attacks.
Trump and MAGA Republicans want to silence our movement and prevent us from campaigning against their draconian policy agenda.
This is a five-alarm moment, Andra. Please start a $5 monthly donation to power and sustain our efforts to stand against Trump.
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Britt, Rahna, Saskia, Gabi, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "HR 9495: Bill Threatening Nonprofits Passes House," Nonprofit Quarterly, November 21, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200463?t=8&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. "Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies," The Intercept, November 10, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200453?t=10&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
5. Ibid.
6. "Civil Society Letter to House Opposing H.R. 9495," ACLU, September 20, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198929?t=12&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
7. "House GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives Trump Unilateral Power to Kill Nonprofits," The Intercept, November 15, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200452?t=14&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
8. "No Labels files DOJ complaint about groups boycotting its 2024 presidential ballot access effort," CBS News, January 18, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/186092?t=16&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
9. "MoveOn.org and Bucks man defend post-insurrection petition in NAC, Worthington defamation claim," Phillyburbs.com, June 7, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/200454?t=18&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
10. "Scalise preps vote on terrorism bill decried as a gift for Trump," MSNBC, November 19, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200446?t=20&akid=416946%2E53570607%2ECauc_M
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump and his MAGA allies expect us to give up. But we will not give them what they want. We will never stop working to defend our fundamental freedoms and protect our democracy. MoveOn has been leading the movement against right-wing extremism for 26 years, and we promise you that we will still be here every step of the way forward.
Will you donate to power MoveOn's work to protect our freedoms and democracy under Trump's administration?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action - PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141. This email was sent to Andra Patterson on November 22, 2024. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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