2 days ago
You May Not Be Trump's Target This Time. But You Could Be Next.
President Trump's actions targeting law firms, judges, media organizations, universities and labor unions have demonstrated a norm-shattering zeal for retribution and punishment of anyone who may disagree with his policies. Now, nonprofit organizations are up.
An executive order directed every federal agency to send the White House targets for investigation that include large nonprofit corporations or associations and foundations with assets of $500 million or more. The Department of Government Efficiency tried to assign a team to an independent nonprofit organization that had criticized the Trump administration's mass deportation policies. Last month, a congressional committee launched a probe into over 200 nonprofit organizations, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and dozens of religious institutions, without basis or evidence of wrongdoing. And over the last few weeks, the president's allies in the House have held multiple hearings with such titles as 'Public Funds, Private Agendas: NGOs Gone Wild.' These hearings protested the work of organizations that provide services to vulnerable communities and seek to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.
All of this suggests a bigger, more fundamental goal: to shut down debate, cut off services to disfavored communities and dismantle civil society. These actions are unconstitutional, un-American and harm us all.
This latest assault comes at a moment when we need civil society to fill the breach left by a government in retreat from its role in providing humanitarian assistance, asserting global leadership, fighting climate change, safeguarding public health, funding scientific research, expanding economic opportunity, protecting civil rights and supporting immigrants and the poor.
And crucially, because civil society organizations exist outside of government, we rely on them to fight official abuses of power.
That of course is exactly why they make such a fine target for the president. Civil society groups ensure that our government, no matter who is in power, is accountable to the law and to our Constitution. I know this from having sued Democratic and Republican administrations as a lawyer working at nonprofit organizations, as well as from having defended the government as a Justice Department official.
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