HR 9494 would allow the Treasury Department to designate U.S. nonprofits as “terrorist-supporting” organizations. The law would not require officials to explain the reason for designating a group, nor does it require the Treasury Department to provide evidence. [1] This would strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt status and shut down the work. 

Tomorrow morning, Congress will vote on this bill. Now, more than ever, we need to continue to push back. We need to defend our organizing power.

In the aftermath of 9/11, we saw how our government weaponized the language of “terrorism” to target and racially profile Black, brown, Arab, Muslim, and Chinese communities [2, 3]. And today, they’re doing the exact same thing. From criminalizing student organizers calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine to charging forest defenders for trying to Stop Cop City, this is yet another attack on the work we do [4]. 

Our collective organizing power, our mutual aid work, and our political education may be at risk if this bill passes. We must stop HR 9495.

In solidarity, 

Sharmin, Turner, Leyen, Van, Brenda, Kari, Allison, and Irma – The 18MR Team

CITATIONS

[1] Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies 

[2] Ending the ‘National Security’ Excuse for Racial and Religious Profiling 

[3] The War on Terror and the Demonization of Student Protests

[4] RICO and Domestic Terrorism Charges Against Cop City Activists Send a Chilling Message