House Passes Bill Targeting Pro-Palestine Non-Profits

On Thursday, the House passed a bill that would give the Treasury Department the power to revoke the tax-exempt status of any non-profit it deems a “terrorist supporting organization,” legislation that’s designed to target pro-Palestine and antiwar groups and charities.

According to Middle East Eye, a coalition of more than 300 civil liberties groups had sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to vote against the bill. The letter said the legislation would “grant the executive branch extraordinary power to investigate, harass, and effectively dismantle any non-profit organization – including news outlets, universities, and civil liberties organizations like ours.”

A coalition of 55 centrist and progressive Jewish organizations also came out strongly against the bill, saying, “No individual, including a Treasury secretary, should be given nearly unfettered power to remove an organization’s tax-exempt status.” Other Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and pro-Israel lobby groups such as AIPAC, support the bill.