The House is scheduled to vote on H.R. 9495 on Thursday morning, so email your Member of Congress TODAY!

Last week, the House of Representatives voted to support a bill that has an inclusion that would give future administrations unprecedented power to target nonprofits and strip them of their tax-exempt status. This bill would allow the Treasury Secretary to label organizations as “terrorist-affiliated” without due process—a direct threat to the charities, advocacy groups, and nonprofits that fight for justice, defend civil rights and support marginalized communities. The measure could target humanitarian aid groups, news outlets, schools, and countless civil society organizations.

Furthermore, the legislation runs counter to constitutional due process protections by placing the burden of proof on the accused organization and providing only 90 days for organizations to demonstrate their innocence before revoking their tax-exempt status. Even if the Secretary’s decision were successfully reversed, these organizations would risk irreparable damage to their operations and reputation.

During WWII, Japanese Americans were targeted by the government without due process and many of our civic and community organizations were the first to be targeted by the FBI. Community leaders were swept up and arrested in front of their children for the crime of being Japanese community leaders in these organizations. H.R. 9495 as it is currently written would give the government wide power to strip organizations of their tax-exempt status.

In 2022, over 300,000 nonprofit establishments in the country accounted for 12.8 million jobs or 9.9 percent of private-sector employment. Nonprofits play a crucial role in society, often assisting populations that are underserved or marginalized, focusing on areas that might receive inadequate attention or resources from governments or for-profit businesses. JACL served this role to the Japanese American community before, during, and after the war and continues to be a public voice for much of the Japanese American and broader Asian American community.