House passes bill 'giving Donald Trump unlimited authority' to target political enemies

Thanks to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, President-elect Donald Trump may now have an extra tool at his disposal to effectively destroy any organization that mobilizes against him.

The Intercept reported Thursday that H.R. 9495 — also known as the "Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act" — passed the House by a vote of 219-184. All the no votes were from Democrats, though 15 Democrats joined the Republican majority in supporting the bill including Reps. Colin Allred (D-Texas), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).

If the bill becomes law, it would allow the U.S. Treasury secretary to deem any nonprofit a "terrorist supporting organization" and strip it of its tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status. This would effectively make it impossible for that group to remain operational.

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H.R. 9495 could feasibly be used against some of the groups that vocally opposed Trump during his first administration, like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, Planned Parenthood and the Southern Poverty Law Center among others. It could also potentially be used against nonprofit news outlets like ProPublica, Mother Jones, the Texas Tribune and the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) was one of the key opponents of the bill. He argued that existing law is perfectly adequate in preventing U.S. based organizations from supporting terrorist groups, and that H.R. 9495 was merely a way to "give Donald Trump unlimited authority to label his opponents as terrorists."

“Authoritarianism is not born overnight — it creeps in,” Doggett said Thursday. “A tyrant tightens his grip not just by seizing power but when he demands new powers and when those who can stop him willingly cede and bend to his will.”

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has so far been quiet as to his position on the bill. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has been an outspoken opponent of H.R. 9495.

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Click here to read the Intercept's report in full.