Democrats on Tuesday rejected a bill that would have given the Trump administration more power to crack down on nonprofit organizations that allegedly support terrorism.
A similar bill passed the House with overwhelming support from Democrats during the Biden-Harris administration. But on Tuesday, a majority of Democrats voted against the bill, arguing it could be abused by the incoming administration. The previous version was introduced The bill passed the House of Representatives in April after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. 179 votes Although it received support from Democrats, it was unable to gain support in the Senate.
204 Tuesday republican party Voted in favor of the new bill — However, only 52 Democrats participated. One Republican, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, voted against the bill. that necessary A two-thirds majority will succeed. Critics hailed the defeat as a victory for civil liberties, but supporters believed it was necessary to target groups that finance terrorism.
House Resolution 9495; or the Terrorist Financing Prevention Act and the American Hostage Tax Penalties Act. sponsored By Republican New York State Representative Claudia Tenney. The bill would “postpone tax deadlines and refund late fees paid” to American hostages, but it would also revoke the “tax-exempt status of organizations that support terrorism.” (Related article: 'Increasingly violent': Lawmakers fear pro-Palestinian demonstrators flock to Parliament building for Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech)
HR 9495 includes:
✅ Ending tax-exempt status for U.S. nonprofit organizations that support terrorist groups
⁰✅ Provided tax relief for Americans held hostage or wrongfully detainedHouse Democrats blocked this common-sense bill because of President Trump's election.
Americans deserve…
— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) November 14, 2024
In a statement to the Daily Caller, Congressman Tenney said, “The Stopping the Financing of Terrorism and Penalties for American Hostages Act targets tax-exempt nonprofit organizations that support terrorist organizations and protects hostages and illegally detained Americans. “This guarantees that you will not be subject to tax penalties.” .
The bill will be considered in the Rules Committee Monday. It could then be brought forward for a vote in another chamber.
According to the bill, a “terrorist supporting organization” is defined as a nonprofit organization that the Secretary of the Treasury deems has “provided material support or resources” to a terrorist organization. The secretary will send a notice to nonprofit organizations informing them that they have been designated as a “terrorist supporting organization.”
The group “failed to provide material support or resources” or “failed to provide material support or resources” within 90 days.[make] reasonable efforts to obtain the return of such support and resources. ” In the latter case, they will also need to demonstrate in writing that they plan to further support or withdraw resources from the terrorist organization.
Supporters of the bill argued that it would prevent nonprofit organizations accused of supporting terrorism from receiving tax breaks.
The last thing Americans who are taken hostage or wrongfully detained must face upon return is a tax penalty from the IRS.
The Suspension of Terrorist Financing and Penalties for American Hostages Act would correct this flaw in the tax code and ensure their return. pic.twitter.com/u1b81KjlKN
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) November 12, 2024
“Despite unanimous passage out of the Ways and Means Committee, some of my Democratic colleagues decided to play partisan politics with this common-sense bipartisan bill and condone abuses of the tax code. , putting politics ahead of the safety of the American people,” Tenney said. The person who called. “They should be ashamed of themselves for voting to defend a nonprofit organization that supports a violent terrorist organization and unfairly punishes American hostages.”
However, opponents of the bill argued that it could be misused. One of the Democrats who originally co-sponsored the bill — Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus — In the end, I voted against it.
“This bill includes a provision that I support that would give mandatory tax relief to Americans who have been wrongfully detained and held hostage, but there is a provision added by Republicans related to nonprofit tax-exempt status. “I voted against the bill given recent concerns that the provision could be abused by Republicans and future administrations,” she said in a statement to callers. “We urge the House to pass the American Hostage Tax Suspension Act, which has already passed unanimously in the Senate and would provide much-needed tax relief to Americans who are being held unjustly.” (Related: A major bank allegedly shut down a Florida man's bank account after a left-wing blogger falsely accused him of “Russiagate”)
Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna also voted against the bill, citing free speech concerns.
“This bill is so broad that the president could be stripped of nonprofit status just for speech or humanitarian work he doesn't like. We must stand up for everyone's right to free speech. “No,” he said in an online post.
I will be voting against HR 9495 tonight. The bill is so broad that a company could be stripped of its nonprofit status just for speech or humanitarian work the president doesn't like. We must defend everyone's right to free speech.
— RoKhanna (@RoKhanna) November 12, 2024
The caller asked if Khanna supported alternative methods of targeting terrorist-supporting organizations.
“I support narrowly tailored legislation that does not address free speech concerns or involve nonprofit organizations such as: Human Rights Watch and others are doing meaningful work,” he told Caller in a statement.
Although this measure failed, there are still tools the Treasury can use to combat terrorism.
In 2019, President Trump's Treasury Department sanctions Targeting organizations that finance terrorism. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is responsible for enforcement. sanctions against certain foreign countries, terrorists, drug traffickers, and others involved in threats to national security.
Financing terrorism is already illegal in the United States. Anti-terrorism and effective death penalty laws According to the USA Patriot Act, it gave the Treasury Department the authority to freeze an organization's assets. charity and security network. Since 2001, nine charities have been forced to close and their assets have been frozen under these laws.
HR 9495 would allow for the removal of tax-exempt nonprofit status without due process. This power is just redundant in the right hands, but extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.
The bill failed. I voted against it. pic.twitter.com/5hsVTyRuVk
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) November 13, 2024
A majority of Republicans supported the bill due to national security concerns. But recent measures purportedly aimed at counter-terrorism are being used to target conservatives. (Related: What President Trump Said He Will Do Against Our Country's Censorship Overlords)
In response to January 6, 2021, the Biden-Harris administration announced the first National Strategy to Combat Domestic Terrorism.
The document says “narratives of fraud” in the 2020 presidential election and “circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic” could lead to violence by “domestic violent extremists.” . The document also highlighted how social media could be used to recruit “domestic terrorists”, citing “online disinformation and misinformation”.
Mark Zuckerberg's letter says the White House worked with Facebook to censor certain views about the coronavirus. A report from the House Judiciary says intelligence agencies under the Biden-Harris administration censored articles related to Hunter Biden's laptop.
Thread: If you are watching @Tucker Carlson Although I'm unfamiliar with the Biden administration's first national strategy for countering domestic terrorism and where it fits into the administration's broader “war on false thinking,” I covered this important and worrying topic last year. It's here.
— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) January 14, 2022
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI have also notoriously targeted parents protesting school board meetings, according to whistleblowers. The FBI used its counterterrorism division to investigate the parents. According to in response to a letter from Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Additionally, an FBI memo targeting “radical and traditional Catholic” groups was leaked last year, but has since been retracted.
HR 9495 lost on Tuesday, but its rival passed Senate in May. of End tax penalties for American hostages It does not contain any non-profit provisions.
