Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I also stand in opposition to H.R. 9495, which would provide this administration and any future administration with sweeping, unilateral authority to designate nonprofits as terror- supporting organizations and strip them of their tax-exempt status with no due process and without sufficient evidence. The authorities provided in this bill are unnecessary and extremely dangerous if they ever fall into the wrong hands. This legislation would do nothing to improve our ability to combat terrorism because there are already numerous legal mechanisms that effectively monitor and penalize nonprofits that provide support to terrorist organizations. No one in this esteemed body wants any nonprofits to direct even $1 to a terrorist organization, and it is inappropriate to suggest otherwise. In the hands of responsible government, the powers provided in this bill are redundant and duplicative. However, history is uncertain. Democracies, even ours, can wax and wane. Sometimes we have great Presidents, and sometimes we do not. Under the leadership of an unscrupulous or authoritarian President, it is not hard to imagine how that administration could use the powers in this bill to hinder or dismantle organizations they don't like. Remember, there would be no due process, no right of appeal, no right to see the evidence against them, no path to cure.…”