How Democracies Die explains how dangerous it can be for an executive branch to target political opponents with investigations and stifle them with litigation under the guise of national security. It’s happened here before—from the House Un-American Activities Committee to COINTELPRO to the USA Patriot Act.
Now, we’re seeing it again in proposals to reform civil service and tax codes. Could a Christian nationalist revolution really be this… boring? Yes, though when you understand the implications for atheists, in particular, it’s anything but.
It’s why American Atheists has joined a new coalition sponsored by Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), the co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, to defend democracy and our constitutional rights against Project 2025, a Christian nationalist playbook to dismantle the U.S. government.
Among its 900 pages is a plan to reinstate “Schedule F” (the topic of last week’s episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) and classify 50,000 federal jobs as “policy-related.” Doing so would deny legal protections to government employees with issue expertise, making them liable to be terminated at will and replaced with unqualified and unquestioning loyalists from the rightwing Presidential Personnel Database.
It’s not without precedent. Five-term prime minister Viktor Orbán transitioned Hungary from a democracy to an “illiberal Christian” state the European parliament considers an “electoral autocracy.” Besides installing yes-men in government roles, Orbán cracked down on nongovernmental organizations. We’re seeing that now, too, in a bill that passed the House with overwhelming support this Tax Day and that The New Republic described as “so boring it escaped most people’s attention”
But this bill, HR 6408, grants the Treasury Secretary extraordinary authority to unilaterally use “classified information” as justification for the I.R.S. to strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt status without due process, allowing future administrations to attack political enemies, penalize disfavored groups, and effectively dismantle specific organizations—from civil rights nonprofits and advocacy groups to colleges and universities—which will have no recourse to view evidence or challenge allegations made against them.
The stated purpose of HR 6408 is to prohibit nonprofits from supporting terrorism, which is already a federal crime. Plus, in April, five of the bill’s sponsors signed a letter implying the I.R.S. should deny tax-exempt status to nonprofits simply for operating “counter to public policy.” In other words, HR 6408 could be used to surveil, scrutinize, and silence organizations simply because its activities and speech don’t align with the political or religious views of whomever is in charge come November.
Such a substantial erosion of our First Amendment rights isn’t as big a stretch as one might like to think: Members of Congress have already waged a years-long smear campaign against our partners at Humanists International for “promoting atheism.” Dozens of public officials have called for media outlets to be investigated and prosecuted. Lawmakers across the country are passing legislation to criminalize civil disobedience, and we’ve already seen protestors charged with domestic terrorism and felony obstruction.
This oppressive oversight could arrive at a time when nonprofits are already facing a number of challenges: Employees and volunteers are burnt out and being harassed. Operational costs are growing while charitable giving is on the decline. And while it’s true not all nonprofits are good actors, there are evidence-based solutions that could combat malfeasance without inhibiting free speech, press, protest, and the increasingly vital work of nonprofit organizations.
Unfortunately, most voters are still unaware of Project 2025, so it’s clear we must do more to educate the public about what’s at stake. And although their plan to outlaw pornography is certainly a sexier topic, it’s their insipid proposals that threaten to do the most insidious and irreparable harm.
What can you do about any of this right now? 1) Make sure you’re also signed up to receive our Action Alerts so you always know about bills like HR 6408 and can easily contact your legislators. 2) Make a one-time donation of $25 today to help American Atheists continue fighting Project 2025 and being one of the Religious Right’s least favorite nonprofits for another 60 years.
In solidarity,
Melina Cohen
Communications Director
PS: Check your mailbox! If you’ve contributed more than $45 in the past year, your next edition of American Atheist magazine will be arriving soon. And don’t miss our upcoming webinar about the dark side of crisis pregnancy centers. Register here!
American Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, nonprofit educational organization that relies on the support of members like you. Contributions are tax-deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is 74-2466507 and our Combined Federal Campaign number is 52217.
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