‘Anti-Terrorist’ Bill Might Be Trouble for Civil Rights Activists

Recently, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill disguised as a way to stop terrorism. As is typical of the U.S., it is a thinly veiled authoritarian move. The bill would allow the Treasury Department to decide if certain 501c nonprofit groups are actually terrorist organizations, and revoke their tax exempt status.

Titled the “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act,” House Resolution 9495 was originally introduced as protest groups rose up around the country against the Israeli attack on Palestine on October 7, 2023. It passed the house with a 218-194 vote, and was sponsored by Republican New York Rep. Tenney Claudia. After Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu was found guilty of war crimes by the International Criminal Court, it is believed that this bill would be used to oppress any political dissent against right-wing policies.

Nonprofit and civil rights groups oppose the bill and have called it the “nonprofit killer,” firmly believing that the Trump administration will use it to squash any political opponents, should it be passed. The Treasury Department can decide which groups are terrorists with no evidence, which makes it even more dangerous.

Democracy Now! spoke with anthropologist, lawyer, and legal scholar at the University of Chicago, Darryl Li. He published an analysis of the bill titled “The Most Dangerous Domestic Anti-Terrorism Bill Since the PATRIOT Act.” Of the bill, he states ,“… It would allow the government to shut down nonprofits on the smear of being terrorist-supporting organizations… it would essentially smuggle in through the back door a domestic terrorist group list for the first time. This is something that the United States, to this day, still doesn’t have.” Darryl highlights the alarming consequences of this bill, that it could take down organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, and other news outlets.

Right-wing representatives can feel at ease signing such a bill because, as Li states, right-wing organizations are highly unlikely to make it onto the domestic terrorist group list. They do not have to worry about their own groups being taken down. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) states, “This is a dangerous and unconstitutional bill that would allow unchecked power to target nonprofit organizations as political enemies and shut them down without due process.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal agrees, rallying against the bill and its potential to give Republicans more power and shut down any political dissent.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) voted against the bill and advocated for pressure on the Senate who will vote on it next. In a post on BlueSky, she writes “The attention + organizing played a role. If you can thank your rep for voting NO, please do so. It matters.” In uncertain times, pressuring those that are meant to fight for us is crucial.