Non-profit killer bill losing Dem support amid grassroots pressure
Last week, the House failed to pass the extremely controversial HR 9495, which would give the future Trump administration unprecedented power in suppressing nonprofits, by allowing the administration the power to strip organizations of their tax exempt status. Despite failing to push the bill through and hundreds of nonprofit organizations advocating against it, the House plans to vote on this bill at 10 AM on Thursday, November 21.
- On November 20, as news of the floor vote was announced, Fight for the Future alone drove over 1000 calls to legislative offices in just 48 hours—adding to the thousands Congress has received in the past week.
- On November 19, at least five of the previously yes-voting Democrats switched their votes to no, with Rep Vasquez (D-NM) releasing a statement
- On November 19, over 300 nonprofit organizations spanning the spectrum from abortion funds, to healthcare, to immigration rights, to climate justice, to LGBTQ+ advocacy were activated to demand Democrats defend them against the poorly written and over-broad provisions of this bill
- Individual Democratic Representatives are being called out for their betrayal of their values in a troll account managed by Fight for the Future at https://bsky.app/profile/demsforfascism.bsky.social
- As of 11 AM EST on November 20, Fight for the Future alone has driven 2555 calls to Congress on this measure in the past week.
And, this quote can be attributed to Lia Holland (they/she), Campaigns and Communications Director at Fight for the Future:
“It’s a disappointment but not a surprise to find Democrats voting for a bill to punish student protests against genocide on the wrong side of their entire values system. Over and over again, we’ve seen how legislative efforts designed to oppress dissent and silence speech end up burning their progenitors. H.R. 9495 is no exception—now, every nonprofit across the spectrum of human rights and progressive values is up in arms, begging Democrats to overcome their greed and their spite, and not to hand President-Elect Trump the ability to destroy any nonprofit he dislikes with the flick of a pen. On Thursday, we will see the truth of whether or not the Democratic Party will pre-comply with the fascist aspirations of the incoming administration. We hope we won’t be disappointed again, but we won’t hold our breath.”