Dear Harris,
Since Donald Trump was sworn in, I've been warning about the regime's rampant corruption, giveaways to the ultra-wealthy, and all-out assault on democracy and the rule of law.
This email is different. Today I'm writing to you about a potential existential threat to Inequality Media Civic Action, the organization I co-founded more than a decade ago.
Under a provision buried deep in Trump's massive tax cut bill, the Trump administration would have the power to effectively shut down any nonprofit organization by simply labeling them a "terrorist supporting organization" and stripping their tax-exempt status without any real due process.
It's effectively a death penalty for nonprofits.
We're rallying opposition to this bill and preparing for the worst, all while continuing to make videos and posts to engage people around economic inequality and threats to democracy.
That's why I'm asking you today: Will you make an urgent donation to get out the truth, help educate the public, and stop the "nonprofit killer" bill?
At his worst, we've seen Donald Trump arrest and detain legal permanent residents and student visa holders for their First Amendment–protected political speech. He's issued executive orders targeting law firms that represented his political opponents. And he's threatened to strip the tax-exempt nonprofit status of ethics watchdog groups and universities.
Likewise, under the bill, organizations who dare to criticize his administration's policies could be risking their very existence as a legal entity.
The end goal is to silence any and all organized political dissent.
The CEO of Oxfam America likened the bill to a law implemented in Nicaragua by Daniel Ortega's government, which shut down Oxfam's operations in the country.
"The government gave us 72 hours to close down our operations after the passage of a similar bill, and our programming to provide food and humanitarian relief to thousands of people was gone within days." she said. "It's a playbook."
We're sounding the alarm to help stop this assault on free speech, and we're counting on your help. Will you make an urgent donation to help educate the public, get the truth out, and stop Trump's "nonprofit killer" bill?
Thank you,
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
No comments:
Post a Comment