[Julie Steiner]

My fellow American poets,

I hope you will consider contacting your Congress Member if you share my concerns about the "The One, Big, Beautiful Bill" that will soon be headed from the House Ways and Means Committee to the House floor.

Setting aside the inequity of offering tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while benefits and services to the most vulnerable (including veterans and Social Security recipients) are being slashed, the following three things are of particular concern to me because I care about several IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including literary magazines, performing arts organizations, and groups that support civil liberties.


Please urge your Congressional leaders to do the following:


1. OPPOSE granting unprecedented authority to the Executive Branch to revoke nonprofit status from organizations without due process.

The new tax reconciliation bill would give the Executive Branch sweeping new power to revoke any nonprofit's tax-exempt status if it is deemed to be "terrorist-supporting" — with no due process or clear definitions (very similar to the failed HR 9495 effort last fall).

Basically, it would open the door to the politically motivated targeting of nonprofits — especially those organizations advocating for racial justice, LGBTQ rights, immigrant communities, climate action, voting rights, reproductive rights, academic and press freedom, and other issues opposed by the Trump administration.

See this one-pager from the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) on why Congress must protect nonprofits from Executive Branch overreach.


2. OPPOSE new or expanded taxes on nonprofit organizations, including private foundations.

These proposals divert scarce resources away from essential services, undermine the ability of charitable nonprofit organizations to meet needs in their communities, and put greater strain on already strained federal, state, county, and municipal government programs. See NCN’s one-pager on protecting nonprofits.


3. SUPPORT and EXPAND tax incentives for charitable giving.

Congress should include the bipartisan Charitable Act in the tax reconciliation bill. This would re-establish a non-itemizer tax incentive for charitable donations to nonprofit organizations. See NCN’s one-pager on the Charitable Act and giving incentives.


If you're not sure how to contact your Congressional representative, you can enter your address here to look him or her up:
https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Thanks for doing whatever you can to build the strength of America's nonprofit sector, while defending it against attacks — political or otherwise.

Gratefully,
Julie

[Glenn Wright]

I could wallpaper my bedroom with the boilerplate responses I have received from my all-Republican legislators. We need to make it clear to our Representative and Senators that if they do not use the tools to limit Executive overreach granted to them in the Constitution they swore to protect and defend, they will have much more to worry about next year than getting primaried.

I am more hopeful that the Judiciary can hold the line. We should start by impeaching and indicting the two Supreme Court justices who have clearly accepted bribes. I have hope that Roberts and Comey-Barrett, having realized the consequences of the disastrous Trump v. US decision last July will be moved to quash his more outrageous executive orders and refer for disbarment the lawyers who engineered his malicious, harassing, frivolous, and vindictive lawsuits and to stop the firings (like that of the Librarian of Congress).

I am encouraged by the energetic and plentiful turnout at “Hands Off” and other demonstrations and at the town hall meetings (now all sponsored by Democrats since Republican lawmakers seem to have gone into hiding). You get the government you deserve. I hope we are willing to fight for a better one.

Glenn

[Jim Moonan]

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It has been a soul-crushing time here in the US, watching our worst fears for our children's future become legislated. Inertia is the barrier to change.

Thank you Julie for your activism. I will do exactly as you say.

The other day I took a (semi) deep dive into the Heritage Foundation's Project 25. I came away thinking, "Where's the democratic Project 25?" We've got to look within and fight back with equal determination and resolve. Grass roots are necessary, but it takes more. It takes focused resolve. It takes strategy and smarts. Hard decisions lie ahead.

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