Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 9495, legislation that would grant dangerous new powers to allow the incoming administration to target its political enemies.

Crucially, it is already illegal for anyone, including nonprofit organizations, to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations, and prosecutors are already empowered to indict and convict individuals of terrorism charges based on evidence of wrongdoing. This bill would create a new tool that allows the Secretary of the Treasury to mete out punishment for tax-exempt organizations based solely on accusations, even without evidence.

Keeping in mind the President-elect's long crusade of vengeance and grievance, along with his announced Cabinet nominations of his cronies and loyalists, many of my constituents have been contacting my office all week, and they and I are very uncomfortable with the creation of this new power.

There would be nothing to stop the incoming Trump administration from using this tool to cancel the tax-exempt status, and therefore, incapacitate any civil society or nonprofit organization with which the President disagrees. This could be an organization that provides legal support for immigrants facing mass deportations or clinics that provide lifesaving reproductive healthcare.

While the bill does lay out a process for organizations to appeal the accusations brought by the Secretary of the Treasury and retain their tax-exempt status, there is little consolation when the final determination lies within the same Secretary that made the accusations in the first place.

Unfortunately, these dangerous, nonsensical provisions have been attached to unrelated legislation that would accomplish the very, very worthy goal of providing relief to American hostages for unfair tax penalties they incur while wrongfully detained abroad.

The Senate has already passed this measure as a standalone bill unanimously. The House should follow suit by stripping the bill before us today of its controversial provisions to provide hostages and their families with the relief they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, in its current form, I will vote ``no,'' and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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