On November 12, the House voted on a bill (HR 9495) that would give the executive branch power to strip nonprofits of their status. This incredibly dangerous and unconstitutional legislation would have been used to attack and dismantle our movements for justice by granting the executive branch authority to effectively dismantle any nonprofit organization that criticized the government by arbitrarily designating it as a ‘terrorist supporting’ organization. According to the ACLU, the potential for abuse under that bill would have been staggering.
The bill was shot down; H.R. 9495 failed by a vote of 256-145 (⅔ was required for passage).
203 Republicans and 52 Democrats voted yes, and 144 Democrats and 1 Republican voted no. Two Of those 52 Democrats that voted yes to this terrible bill are from NC: Representative Don Davis representing NC’s 1st congressional district, and Representative Kathy Manning representing NC’s Sixth Congressional District!
This vote was a practice round, a preview of what may come tomorrow, including the increased use of targeted lawfare.
For more on this devastating proposal, see this letter signed by more than 130 non-profit organizations.
