The Left is in hysterics. They don’t control Congress or the presidency anymore.
And now Democrats went fully deranged in Congress for one boneheaded reason.
Congress descended into another bout of “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” according to House Republicans, during a heated battle Thursday over legislation aimed at stripping tax-exempt status from nonprofit groups providing material support to terrorists.
The bill, once sailing through Congress with bipartisan support, hit a wall of resistance following Donald Trump’s recent election victory. Democrats, now wary of granting additional powers that they fear Trump could misuse, reversed their earlier backing of the measure.
“With Trump’s election, the conditions have changed,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who supported the bill in committee. “The dangers of granting additional power to him are far outweighed by any benefits from this bill.”
Despite the backlash, the bill narrowly passed the House on a 219-184 vote, with 15 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans. However, its future in the Senate looks uncertain as Democratic opposition grows and time runs short in the legislative calendar.
Republicans were quick to slam the Democrats’ flip-flop, accusing them of letting Trump hysteria cloud their judgment. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), a key sponsor of the bill, blamed the shift on “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“By the way, there’s no vaccine and no cure that we know of right now for that, which is obvious from what we’re seeing,” she quipped.
The legislation targets nonprofits funding terrorism, with Republicans arguing it’s outrageous for taxpayer money to indirectly support such activities.
“If a nonprofit organization is funding terrorism, you lose your tax-exempt status,” said Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He cited a U.S. nonprofit that funded a journalist working with Hamas who held a hostage in his home, yet still retains tax-exempt status.
The bill empowers the Treasury Department and IRS to revoke tax exemptions for nonprofits providing material support to terrorist groups, closing a loophole that currently applies only to the terrorist organizations themselves. Protections are included for hostages, ensuring they aren’t penalized for missing tax filings while in captivity.
A previous version of the bill passed the House overwhelmingly in April on a 382-11 vote and cleared the Ways and Means Committee unanimously on September 11. But last week, 144 Democrats blocked it on the expedited calendar, and this week that opposition swelled to 183.
Rep. Jason Smith called the reversal “insanity,” while Democrats pointed to Trump as a key factor in their opposition.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who initially supported the measure, said she now fears Trump could misuse the law. “Republicans are fixated on giving unchecked powers to the Trump administration,” she said, adding that Trump could target environmental groups as “ecoterrorists” or shutter hospitals providing “reproductive care.”
Rep. Donald Beyer (D-VA), another early supporter, admitted he was swayed by advocacy groups’ concerns. “We have all woken up to the potential, not just because of Donald Trump but because the nonprofits that could be affected by it are aware of its impact,” he said.
Critics of the bill include heavyweights like the ACLU, NAACP, Planned Parenthood, and CAIR, which dubbed it the “nonprofit killer bill.”
“This bill dangerously weaponizes the Treasury against nonprofit organizations and houses of worship — Christian, Jewish or Muslim — that dare to support Palestinian and Lebanese human rights or criticize Israel’s genocidal actions,” said Robert S. McCaw, CAIR’s government affairs director.
The ACLU accused Republicans of choosing “fear over freedom,” while opponents argued the bill lacks safeguards, leaving nonprofits vulnerable to abuse by a president or Treasury secretary.
Republicans countered that the bill includes protections, such as allowing nonprofits to remedy violations, appeal designations, or challenge them in court.
For now, the bill’s fate hangs in the balance, with Democrats’ resistance raising questions about whether bipartisan cooperation on anti-terrorism measures can survive the shadow of Trump’s presidency.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
