Legislative Update: What’s at Stake and How We Fight Back
A dangerous bill nearly gave the U.S. Treasury unchecked power to shut down nonprofits without due process—but public pressure helped defeat it. Now, another urgent battle looms in the Senate as lawmakers weigh $20 billion in weapons to the Israeli military. This update from our director explains what happened, what’s next, and how you can help keep the pressure on.
Rev. J. Mark Davidson, Executive Director
11/15/20241 min read
H.R. 9495 would have given the Secretary of the Treasury power and authority to designate a U.S. non-profit as a “terrorist supporting organization” and strip it of its tax-exempt status if the Secretary claims that the organization has provided material support to a terrorist group. This determination could be made without disclosure of the reasons or any evidence. Non-profits would be left entirely in the dark about what the government believed was “material support,” therefore denying them an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. Thankfully, due to public pressure on Congressional representatives, the resolution failed to garner enough support to pass. However, there was substantial support for this repressive, anti-democratic legislation, and there is reason to be concerned that it may reappear in the next Congress. We need to remain vigilant.
We are strongly encouraging our supporters to contact their Senators to urge them to support Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (SJR 111,112,113, 114, 115, and 116) to block $20 billion in weapons to the Israeli military. From IfNotNow, a leading Jewish human rights organization working for a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo: “The Israeli military is systematically targeting Palestinians in Gaza, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions. Now its dangerous attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands of civilians and escalated a broader regional war. Yet our government continues to funnel weapons to Israel in violation of U.S. and international law – enabling the ongoing massacres of Palestinians and Lebanese people right now. Each life taken is an entire universe destroyed.”
Keep the pressure on Congress to do the right thing! It worked against HR 9495. And whether or not it succeeds in blocking U.S. arms to Israel, we must be on the record in significant numbers letting Congress know that we are strongly opposed to these egregious violations of American and international law, and want an end to U.S. military weapons to Israel.