Ways and Means chair demands IRS remove tax exemptions for groups linked to terrorism, campus anti-Semitism
Rep. Jason Smith sent a letter to the head of the IRS requesting that the agency revoke the tax-exempt status of groups linked to terrorist groups and anti-Semitic activism.
Smith specifically called out groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to the head of the IRS requesting that the agency revoke the tax-exempt status of groups linked to terrorist groups and anti-Semitic activism.
On Sept. 24, Congressman Jason Smith of Missouri wrote to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel demanding that the agency strip nonprofit organizations that are connected to the recent unrest on American campuses following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“I write today to refer the Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation (‘AJP Educational Foundation’), a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, and American Muslims for Palestine (‘AMP’) for investigation and ultimately revocation of their tax-exempt status,” Smith wrote.
“AJP Educational Foundation and AMP, in conjunction with its fiscally sponsored project Students for Justice in Palestine (‘SJP’) has engaged in conduct that includes inciting riots and violence, supporting illegal activity, and conducting other activity contrary to the public good,” he continued. “AMP also holds suspected ties to designated terrorist organizations despite holding tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization. This conduct is designed to sow chaos and discord in our society, has involved illegal activities, and certainly is not in furtherance of any tax-exempt purpose.”
In an attached appendix, Smith noted that “AMP through AJP provides funding for Students for Justice in Palestine (‘SJP’), which has organized and supported extensive antisemitic protests that have resulted in harassment, assault, property vandalization, and trespassing, among other illegal activities.”
Smith also called upon the IRS to remove tax exemption for other nonprofits linked to recent anti-Israel encampments and anti-Semitic activity on college campuses, including the Westchester Peace Action Committee Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and Jewish Voice for Peace.
In a press release published that same day, Smith stated that “American taxpayers are rightfully outraged by what has transpired on American college campuses this past year, and they are even more disgusted to learn their tax dollars have subsidized the groups organizing this illegal activity at home and potentially terrorist organizations overseas.”
“Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and in exchange, organizations must operate for stated exempt purposes,” he added. “The Ways and Means Committee will continue putting pressure on the Biden-Harris Administration until it stands up to the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party and puts a stop to this antisemitic and anti-American behavior once and for all.”
In July, the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing titled: “Fueling Chaos: The Flow of Tax-Exempt Dollars to Antisemitism.”
Laura Burns of George Washington University’s Program on Extremism told the committee that “Terrorist organizations have used tax-exempt organizations as fronts for their activities for decades in the U.S., as cover for their illicit financing and to further their propaganda and influence campaigns.”
The vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, also testified that day, noting: “Since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, which included the slaughter of 1200 people and the abduction of more than 200 others, anti-Semitism has surged.” He also stated that Students for Justice in Palestine “celebrated” the “massacre of Israelis as a historic win for Palestinian resistance.”
Campus Reform has reached out to the organizations flagged in the congressional letter for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
