More than 50 House Democrats voted to give the president-elect Donald TrumpThe Treasury Secretary has more power over nonprofit organizations.

THE House voted against the GOP-led Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Sanctions on American Hostages Act on Tuesday, with 256 representatives voting for it, fewer than the 270 needed to pass the bill. More than 200 Republicans and 52 Democrats supported the invoice, and a Republican joined 144 Democrats who opposed it.

The bill would give U.S. Treasury secretaries the authority to designate nonprofit organizations as “supporting terrorism” and, thus, strip these groups of their tax-exempt status. Passage of the bill would apply changes made to tax years after it was signed into law, including those made by the new Trump administration.

The current version of the bill, introduced by Rep. Claudia Tenney, is coupled with a provision that provides tax relief to Americans who are “unlawfully or unjustly detained abroad, or held hostage abroad.”

The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the bill, calling it “a new tool (that the Trump administration) could use to stifle free speech, target political opponents, and punish groups that do not support agreement with them.

In a blog post urging members of Congress To defeat the bill, ACLU senior policy advisor Kia Hamadanchy said, “Freedom to dissent without fear of government reprisal is an essential part of any well-functioning democracy, which is why Congress must block HR 9495 before it is too late.

Under the bill, once an organization is notified of its “terrorist supporting” designation, it would have 90 days to appeal before being stripped of its 501(c)(3) status.

The law would not require Treasury officials to explain the reasoning behind the decision or for the department to provide evidence.

Trump has begun packing his cabinet but has not announced who will lead his Treasury Department. Billionaire investor John Paulson floated himself as a possible choice Tuesday, suggesting that investor Scott Bessent or Trump transition co-chairman Howard Lutnick could succeed the current secretary. Janet Yellen.

The bill comes as the war in Gaza continues into its 13th month. At least 43,603 Palestinians have been killed and 102,929 others injured since the war began on October 7, 2023, last year, according to Gaza’s health ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel on the day of the Hamas attacks, and more than 200 people were taken hostage.

Opponents of the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act have warned that the proposed broad authority to deem an organization as supporting “terrorism” has raised concerns that the power could be wielded against pro-nonprofit organizations. -Palestinians.

Representative Jamal Bowmana Democrat who lost his primary race earlier this year and will leave Capitol Hill in January, warned Tuesday that the bill will “push us further into authoritarianism.”

“This is an extremely dangerous bill that would give the government unlimited power to stop the work of humanitarian groups and target political enemies. All without transparency or evidence,” wrote Bowman, who is among the pro-Palestinian voices the most virulent in Congress. X, formerly Twitter.

Bowman’s primary race was widely seen as a referendum on his criticism of Israel. Pro-Israel groups have invested nearly $15 million in the race to try to oust Bowman.

“The unchecked powers granted by HR 9495 are ripe for abuse and any Member of Congress who votes yes cannot honestly claim to support peace, justice and free speech,” Bowman said.

Actress Cynthia Nixon, a former candidate for governor of New York, also called the bill a “wake-up call” and urged her supporters on X to persuade their members of Congress to block it.

Opponents warned that passing the bill would kill a nonprofit’s ability to operate because it could prohibit their ability to raise money, prevent them from using banks to serve them, and jeopardize their work in war zones or other hostile environments.

“Charities, particularly those working in contexts where designated terrorist groups operate, are already subject to strict internal due diligence and risk mitigation measures,” the Charity & Security Network said in a statement l ‘last year. “As the prohibition on material support to foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) already exists and is applicable to U.S. nonprofit organizations, this bill is redundant and unnecessary.”

Here is the full list of Democrats who voted in favor of the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act:

• Colin Allred
• Nikki Budzinski
• Yadira Caraveo
• Ed Cas
• Kathy Castor
• Jim Costa
• Angie Craig
• Henri Cuéllar
• Sharice Davids
• Don Davis
• Debbie Dingell
• Lois Frankel
• Jared Dore
• Vicente Gonzalez
• Josh Gottheimer
• Josh harder
• Jahana Hayes
• Steny Hoyer
• Marcy Kaptur
• Greg Landsman
• Susie Lee
• Mike Levin
• Kathy Manning
• Lucy McBath
• Grace Meng
• Gwen Moore
• Jared Moskowitz
• Frank Mrvan
• Donald Norcross
• Frank Pallone
• Jimmy Panetta
• Chris Pappas
• Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez
• Pat Ryan
• Adam Schiff
• Brad Schneider
• Hillary Scholten
• Kim Schrier
• Brad Sherman
• Elissa Slotkin
• Eric Sorensen
• Greg Stanton
• Haley Stevens
• Marilyn Strickland
• Tom Suozzi
• Emily Sykes
• Shri Thanedar
• Norma Torres
• Ritchie Torres
• Juan Vargas
• Gabe Vasquez
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz