A Response
In a Sept. 25th memorandum, President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and potentially prosecute organizations and entities, including nonprofits and charities, that support or fund causes the Trump administration disagrees with, under the guise of fighting “political violence.” The memo threatens to investigate “institutional and individual funders, and officers and employees of organizations, which are responsible for, sponsor, or otherwise aid and abet” causes, policies or ideas that Trump opposes. There is concern that it could target any nonprofit and its staff.
In response, AAUW is a signatory along with nearly 1,400 other nonprofit organizations of this letter:
An Open Letter Rejecting Presidential Attacks on Nonprofit Organizations
We are a coalition of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations formed to champion causes dear to all Americans. We work in communities across the country to protect our air and water, our right to vote, to worship, and to organize; we fight for consumers, workers, and our children; we advocate for civil and human rights at home and abroad; we have made it safer to drive on our roads, easier to start a business, and healthier to live in our cities. We span the full ideological spectrum. And today, we stand together for our democracy and in solidarity with the nonprofit groups unjustly and illegally targeted by the Trump administration, including in a new September 25 presidential memorandum.
We of course unequivocally reject political violence. But we won’t mince words. No president–Democrat or Republican–should have the power to punish nonprofit organizations simply because he disagrees with them. That is not about protecting Americans or defending the public interest. It is about using unchecked power to silence opposition and voices he disagrees with. That is un-American and flies in the face of the Constitution, including the First Amendment bar on targeting organizations for their advocacy.
Charities perform crucial functions in every community across our country, including providing healthcare, housing, education, religious services, food and water, and so much more. Like other nonprofits, the organizations threatened by President Trump have a mission to serve the public good and are composed of everyday people fighting for dignity, safety, and opportunity. This attack on nonprofits is not happening in a vacuum, but as a part of a wholesale offensive against organizations and individuals that advocate for ideas or serve communities that the president finds objectionable, and that seek to enforce the rule of law against the federal government. Whether the target is a church, an environmental or good government group, a refugee assistance organization, university, a law firm, or a former or current government official, weaponizing the executive branch to punish their speech or their views is illegal and wrong. It is also an attack on the very notion that government power must serve the people, not those in office.
Charitable organizations serve our communities in various ways, playing a central role in public protection, health, accountability, anti-discrimination, and in creating the moral fabric of our nation. That is, of course, precisely why this administration is targeting them. They know that the organizations they are attacking exist to lift up the voices of everyday Americans and shine the spotlight of accountability on those who seek to abuse power.
Political violence is unacceptable. But efforts by the president of the United States to defund, discredit, and dismantle nonprofit groups he simply disagrees with are reprehensible and dangerous—a violation of a fundamental freedom in America. This Administration is trying to bully people into silence but speaking out is, and has always been, our collective mission. We stand with those wrongly targeted and with each other. No exceptions.
Reminder to Vote
The dates for the Constitutional Amendment Special Election:
- Early Voting Period: Begins Monday, October 20th and ends Friday, October 31st
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 4th
- Mail-In Ballot Receipt: Ballots must arrive by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day if not postmarked,
- or by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5 if postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day
Calling for volunteers to write articles
Would you be interested in writing a public policy article for WHCB newsletter? You may have a topic you are particularly interested in. Perhaps you would be willing to research and write one from a list of suggested topics. Maybe you want to suggest a topic for a future newsletter. Your help would be appreciated.
Georgia Kimmel, Public Policy Chair
AAUW West Harris County & AAUW Texas