NEVADA – Today, the United States House of Representatives narrowly passed House Resolution 9495 (HR9495). The final vote totals were 219 to 184. This measure creates a pathway for political abuse that could devastate civil society organizations and chill free speech. The bill’s vague language and lack of due process protections make it a ready-made weapon for suppressing dissent and punishing political opponents.
Of the Nevada representatives, Congresswoman Lee (NV-03) and Congressman Amodei (NV-02) voted to pass the dangerous legislation. This vote came on the heels of 25 Nevada organizations sending a letter to Congresswoman Lee’s office, informing her of the dangers of the legislation and the threat it posed to nonprofits across the state and the communities they serve.
Emily Persaud-Zamora, Executive Director of Silver State Voices, issued the following statement:
“As the leading voter education non-profit in Nevada, Silver State Voices works daily to ensure all eligible Nevadans can have their voices heard in our electoral processes. Our work is invaluable to the core of our democracy, particularly in the face of increasing attempts to rollback access to the ballot box. But now, with House Resolution 9495 passing out of the House of Representatives, the work that we do is on the line, thanks in no small part to Representatives Lee and Amodei for their supporting votes on this dangerous legislation. House Resolution 9495 undermines the critical work nonprofits across the state do to serve all Nevadans, including the constituents of Representatives Lee and Amodei. To be clear, this vote is not only a betrayal of organizations doing critical work on the ground in Nevada to serve our communities, it is also a betrayal of the communities Reps. Lee and Amodei have been elected to represent.”
Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of the Institute for a Progressive Nevada, issued the following statement:
“As a nonprofit focused on educating Nevadans about policies that will benefit and harm them, we are not only deeply concerned about House Resolution 9495 (HR9495), but we are also deeply disappointed — and frankly, irate — that Congresswoman Susie Lee and Congressman Mark Amodei would vote in favor of a bill that would threaten the organizations that empower and serve their constituents every day. This bill creates a dangerous precedent by concentrating unchecked power in the executive branch’s hands, particularly as we enter a new and uncertain era in our country. At a time when the incoming President has publicly announced his intent to punish his political opponents, this legislation gives significant authority to the incoming administration to utilize it as a partisan tool. Even the threat of designation could cause loss of funding and result in organizations self-censoring themselves to avoid accusations of terrorist support. Even unproven accusations will cause reputational damage, which would be virtually impossible to overcome. To be clear, nonprofit organizations in the state include everything from organizations focused on education like ours, to those providing material support such as food, shelter, and other basic human necessities. With this disastrous vote, these two representatives have put the safety, care, and comfort of the Nevadans they are supposed to represent in jeopardy. We urge Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Rosen to learn from Congresswoman Lee and Congressman Amodei’s mistakes and oppose this harmful measure if it comes to a vote in the Senate.”
Athar Haseebullah, Executive Director of ACLU of Nevada, issued the following statement:
“The ACLU of Nevada is grateful for Congressman Horsford and Congresswoman Titus’ ‘no’ vote on H.R. 9495, but we are beyond disappointed by Congresswoman Lee’s ‘yes’ vote on this bill. While we long considered Congresswoman Lee an ally in advocating for civil liberties and civil rights, her affirmative vote here empowers Donald Trump’s hand-picked head of the Treasury Department to revoke organizations’ nonprofit statuses in an arbitrary fashion. If this administration moves to declare undocumented people ‘terrorists,’ a possibility, if not a probability, based on the administration’s rhetoric of declaring an ‘invasion’ at our southern border, churches that provide support to those individuals could be subject to the revocation of their nonprofit status. The same may be true of any organization providing support to people this administration vilifies and declares ‘terrorists.’ Votes for arbitrary proposals that bolster governmental authority instead of limiting it aren’t just idiotic; they are dangerous. Congresswoman Lee’s ‘yes’ vote here is a betrayal of our most vulnerable communities and the people who serve those communities.”
Statement of Kerry Durmick, State Director, All Voting is Local Nevada:
“All Voting is Local Nevada works every day to ensure our democracy works for every Nevadan. As it stands, House Resolution 9495 provides the executive branch with an overreach of power to target nonprofit organizations and potentially investigate and shut them down. Due in part to Nevada Representatives Lee and Amodei’s supporting votes, the House passed HR 9495, which threatens All Voting is Local’s work to protect and expand voting rights in Nevada and across our country.”
Laura Martin, Executive Director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, issued the following statement:
“H.R. 9495 will give unprecedented power to the executive branch to target, defame, and terminate non-profits it sees as ‘political opponents’ under the guise of terrorism. It’s clear from Congresswoman Lee’s votes and the insolence of her staff that Nevadans can not depend on her office to protect them from the worst of what will be the most barbaric and cruel presidency our country has seen. If passed, H.R. 9495 will do away with due-process and lead to a witch hunt not too different from McCarthyism. This bill will only impact the ability of non-profits to operate while they strive to bring crucial mutual aid and protection of rights to the communities they serve. Congresswoman Lee’s vote in support of H.R. 9495 is a clear message that she doesn’t value the work of Nevada nonprofits and is willing to use the pretense of nonpartisanship to move policies that can facilitate the prosecution of our work”
André C. Wade, State Director, Silver State Equality, issued the following statement:
“If H.R. 9495 is enacted, the potential for abuse is immense — the Secretary of Treasury could strip a US nonprofit of its tax-exempt status without conducting a formal audit or even providing the nonprofit a real opportunity to defend itself. Even more alarmingly, the bill does not even require the government to disclose its reasons for such a decision or present its evidence. A decision, leaving an accused nonprofit, university or journalist, entirely in the dark. The intent, of course, is to establish a chilling environment for advocates.”
Kristee Watson, Executive Director, Nevada Conservation League, issued the following statement:
“As the leading voice for environmental policy in Nevada, we at Nevada Conservation League know that our status as a 501c3 nonprofit helps us educate our friends, families, and communities on the laws that impact them at their kitchen tables. We are honored to do so. House Resolution 9495 (HR9495) gives unprecedented power to the executive branch to target and silence nonprofit organizations. This sweeping and unchecked power comes at a time when the incoming leader of the White House has already threatened to silence his political enemies multiple times. We are discouraged that Congressman Amodei and Congresswoman Susie Lee voted in support of HR9495 and against Nevadans who rely on nonprofits in our state. Our disappointment is not exclusive to how this impacts us — it extends to our network of nonprofits in Nevada that help some of our most vulnerable neighbors in their time of need.”
Leo Murrieta, Executive Director of Make the Road Nevada, issued the following statement:
“The passing of House Resolution 9495 (HR 9495) is a dangerous tool that threatens resources, information, and protection from historically undermined communities across the nation. Representative Susie Lee’s vote in favor of HR 9495 is deeply disappointing and a direct danger to the voices of our community. In this decision, the executive branch is granted broad powers to silence the opposition and target justice-seeking organizations, undermining the principles of fairness and democracy. Make the Road Nevada will not stand idly by while our communities are put at risk. We are committed to organizing, mobilizing, and holding all elected officials accountable to the people they serve. Now, we urge Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Rosen to stand with Nevadans as this enters the Senate to safeguard the needs of their constituents.”
William Moore, Mi Familia Vota Nevada, Civic Engagement Director statement:
“This harmful legislation threatens the foundation of our democracy by effectively shutting down tax-exempt organizations without transparency or appropriate due process. No president should be given such extraordinary power, let alone someone with the temperament that Donald Trump possesses. We denounce this bill, and call on our allies in the Senate to vote against it.”
Mathilda Miller, MPPA, Government Relations Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, issued the following statement:
“HR9495 is a direct assault on Nevada’s 28 federally recognized Tribal, jeopardizing their access to trusted organizations that provide critical information, advocacy, and support. By exploiting vague language, this bill opens the door to political abuse, silencing nonprofits that fight for Indigenous rights, defend sacred spaces, and amplify Native voices. For generations, Indigenous communities have worked tirelessly to overcome systemic silencing, and this legislation threatens to erase that hard-fought progress while deepening the harm. Congressional District 2 is home to 18 Tribal Nations, and District 3 represents a significant Urban Native population. Congresswoman Susie Lee and Congressman Mark Amodei’s votes in favor of this reckless measure are a betrayal to the communities that rely on them for leadership and support. Shame on Representatives Lee and Amodei.”
Statement of Lindsey Harmon, Executive Director, Nevada Education Fund for Planned Parenthood Affiliates:
“HR9495 poses a direct threat to the entirety of the nonprofit ecosystem in this country including reproductive health care providers and advocates at Planned Parenthood. We are deeply disappointed in Congresswoman Lee and Congressman Amodei’s callous disregard for the way this bill can, and likely will, be weaponized against Planned Parenthood and our allies across the country. With an incoming administration that has promised to go after anyone that disagrees with its policies or practices, this opens the door to further weaponization of the government against its own people. We implore Senators Cortez-Masto and Rosen to take the true threat of this legislation into account when voting on this bill. We are no longer living in a world where we can trust the executive branch to act in good faith and must be pragmatic about providing guardrails for our democracy, not removing them.”
ABOUT HR9495: HR9495 gives unprecedented power to the executive branch to target and silence nonprofit organizations through arbitrary terrorism designations. This legislation grants sweeping new powers to the executive branch to investigate and effectively shut down tax-exempt organizations through unilateral accusations.
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About Institute for a Progressive Nevada: Institute for a Progressive Nevada, through strategic communication efforts, educates, empowers, and engages Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed.