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With Trump’s New & Noxious Executive Order Expected Imminently, Leader Schumer Brings Together Deep & Diverse Array Of Groups To Unite In Opposition Of EO That Could Cripple The Very Fabric Of Issue-Based Non-Profit Sector Across US

New York, N.Y. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stood with Senator Gillibrand, NY House Reps, Universities, Civil Rights, Labor, Gun Safety, LGBTQ, Health Care, and Women’s Groups & more, united in solidarity against a proposed Trump administration executive order that aims to target environmental groups and other not-for-profits. A link to the livestream of the event can be seen here.

Standing with elected officials, civil right leaders, labor leaders and so many others who represent the critical non-profit sector across the nation, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that a looming, new Executive Order by President Trump that reportedly aims to target environmental groups and other not-for-profits is “an attack on us all.”

“There are reports that President Trump will release an Executive Order as soon as today targeting some non-profit organizations — for the grave sin of speaking out in defense of the environment,” said Leader Schumer. “Reports are that the Executive Orders could undo these environmental groups’ nonprofit status, it could freeze funding already allocated, it could even tag some of them as “terrorist” organizations. And it could even extend well beyond environmental groups and cast a wide, wide net to capture the very essence of free speech.”

Leader Schumer said this looming Executive Order is just the latest volley in an all-out war by President Trump against Americans’ fundamental liberties and that he is rallying with a leaders and groups representing a diverse array of American civil society, to proclaim — together — in solidarity — as loudly as possible: “Hands off free speech.”

This looming Executive Order could strip some environmental nonprofits, and other well-known and critically-needed groups that work across civil rights, labor, gun safety, LGBT, health care, universities, women’s groups, and others of their tax-exempt status and that it is a major threat that demands action. This is an ‘unprecedented attack’ on private organizations, while saying it could dramatically undermine free speech across the nation.

President Trump has already called for Harvard University to lose its exempt status and suggested the Internal Revenue Service should tax it as a “political entity” after the school rejected the administration’s demand for changes, Bloomberg reported. Last week, the president suggested that the White House could go further by revoking the tax-exempt status of other organizations, saying his administration will soon be “making some statements” about groups that are “so rich, so strong, and then they go so bad,” Bloomberg also reported.

In addition, The Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, the National Council of Nonprofits, and United Philanthropy Forum released a joint statement last week on threats to civil society and the independence of the charitable sector: “On behalf of the charitable sector, we oppose the Trump administration’s stated intention to target ….on ideological grounds — and we remind the Internal Revenue Service of its vital role as an independent agency, one that must carry out its responsibilities free from political pressure or influence.”

  

Leader Schumer will continue to stand up for the first amendment and fight this un-American and harmful executive order.

List of Groups Participating

  • Environmental
    • League of Conservation Voters
    • New York League of Conservation Voters
    • NRDC
    • Earth Justice
    • Sierra Club
    • EDF
    • New York Renews coalition representing hundreds of organizations across New York
    • Environmental Advocates
    • New York Lawyers in the Public Interest
    • Union of Concerned Scientists
    • WE ACT for Environmental Justice
  • Labor
    • Central Labor Council – AFL-CIO, representing over 1 Million workers in New York
  • Civil Rights
    • National Action Network / Rev. Sharpton
    • NAACP
    • Clergy Leaders from Across New York
  • Civil Liberties
    • ACLU and NYCLU
  • Community Organizations
    • Hispanic Federation
    • VOCAL NY
    • Community Voices Heard
    • New York Communities for Change
    • Make the Road New York
    • Working Families Organization
    • OCA New York
    • Wen Chao Association
    • Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans
  • Reproductive Freedom
    • Planned Parenthood NYC
    • Reproductive Freedom for All
  • Social Services
    • United Neighborhood Houses serving tens of thousands of New Yorkers
  • Healthcare
    • Metro Healthcare for All representing dozens of healthcare organizations across New York State
  • LGBTQ
    • Housing Works
  • Hospitals
    • Greater New York Hospital Association
  • Professors, Academics, and University Workers
    • United University Professions representing thousands of professors and academic workers across New York State
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