Just hours after Donald Trump on Thursday promised to " totally destroy” bans on charity politicking, leaders of major nonprofits coalitions vowed to fight his proposal.
Allowing nonprofits to endorse political candidates “is tantamount to allowing political agents to use the public’s goodwill towards the charitable sector as a vehicle to advance, through financial contributions, their own partisan political will,” a major Washington nonprofit lobbying group said Thursday.
The statement, from Independent Sector, came hours after President Trump promised to end a federal law that limits nonprofits’ political activities and one day after members of Congress, including Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, introduced legislation that would end all restrictions on charity involvement in politics.
“The federal government and the IRS should never have the ability to inhibit free speech,” Mr. Lankford said in a statement.
The law prohibits nonprofits from endorsing political candidates or getting involved in political campaigns. It dates to 1954 and is often referred to by the name of its champion, then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson.
‘A Chilling Effect’
If changes to the law were to come up for a vote in Congress, two nonprofit associations, including Independent Sector, will fight it. On Thursday, the lobbying organization said that the politicking ban has been essential in maintaining support for and public confidence in nonprofits. It pointed out that groups are already permitted to interact with government officials in a limited way, including speaking out on issues relevant to their missions.
That “is an entirely different matter than endorsing candidates or getting involved in political campaigns,” Independent Sector said.
The National Council of Nonprofits also said it would fight any efforts to “politicize” nonprofits and foundations.
“For more than six decades, the law now being attacked has protected charitable nonprofits and foundations from being pressured by politicians and paid political operatives to divert their time and resources away from advancing their missions in local communities,” Tim Delaney, president of the council, said in a statement. “That law has a proven track record of working well to protect against politicization.”
Those who donate to nonprofits want that money to help advance those groups’ missions, he said, not advance the careers of politicians or line the pockets of political consultants.
Said Mr. Delaney: “Getting involved in supporting or opposing candidates will have a chilling effect on contributions on which many nonprofits rely.”
Correction: Because of an editing error, an earlier headline on this story said charities would fight Trump’s effort to ban politicking.
