FreedomWorks Statement in Response to Proposed Treasury Rule

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to the Treasury Department and IRS’ proposed rule that would excuse tax-exempt political groups from automatically reporting their major donors to the agency, a move that would further protect donor privacy and Americans’ First Amendment rights, Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks President, commented:

“The Treasury Department and IRS have the right idea with this proposed rule. Democrats have long sought to chill the free speech rights of Americans by forcing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations to make public their donor lists, which would only lead to intimidation and retribution. This proposed rule would go a long way towards ensuring donor privacy in a bid to protect Americans from harassment for their political beliefs.

“Democrats are obsessed with publicizing the donor lists of organizations they disagree with politically, as seen with the House’s passage of H.R. 1 this past spring. The fact that even groups such as the ACLU came out against the proposal speaks volumes to the fact that Democrats are interested in silencing the political speech of those they disagree with, no matter the cost. We saw this just last month when Rep. Joaquin Castro made the wholly irresponsible decision to make public the names and businesses of his own constituents who had donated to President Trump. Clearly, Democrats have no qualms with opening up their fellow Americans to abuse.”