With the Trump-Vance administration headed to the White House in January 2025, Congress is in the process of deciding the status of H.R. 9495 — also known as the "Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act." The bill proposes halting tax-exempt statuses for nonprofits considered "terrorist-supporting," according to the U.S. Congress website.
The bill was debated in the House of Representatives on Nov. 12, however, the decision was postponed until Nov. 21 when the House passed the bill with a Republican majority. As for Arizona representatives, six — who were all Republicans— voted for the bill, two — who were both Democrats — voted against it and Rep. Ruben Gallego, the current senator-elect, did not vote.
READ MORE: Greg Stanton and Ruben Gallego elected to represent Arizona in US Congress
"We need to be very careful about those things, but we keep doing what we're doing," said Hayden Nguyen, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine and a sophomore studying management . "We can't be scared of that, because if we're scared of that, then the administration wins."
Ngyuen said the verbiage within the act could refer indirectly to any organization on campus that supports Palestine.
"It will galvanize people who are bigoted, who want to threaten our clubs, who have vested interests against our organizations," Nguyen said. "They're going to become more aggressive in their attacks against Palestinian people and Palestinian clubs as well."
Nguyen said SJP still needs to inform the public about upcoming events, such as protests and events related to the pro-Palestine movement and will continue to do some through the spring semester.
"We just need to make sure that everybody who's a part of our movement is informed as much as they can be, and we're working very hard towards that," Nguyen said. "We're just going to have to double down on that with this new administration."
SJP works closely with the student organization Young Democratic Socialists of America at ASU, another activist student group dedicated to social issues like LGBTQ+ rights and accessible health care.
"There's a lot of fear that the already existing crackdowns on free speech that we've been seeing in regards to specifically like pro-Palestinian sentiments, that those could even get worse," said Bryce Askew, a senior studying chemical engineering and the Chair of YDSA at ASU
Askew said the biggest fear is the possibility that groups like YDSA at ASU could be banned from campus for participating in activist efforts. They said the student organization will work with other chapters in the region to advocate against mass deportations when the Trump-Vance administration enters the White House.
"The best way to respond to oppression is to not accept it and to also continue to build those ties," Askew said. "Ultimately, we are stronger together as a community when we are working in tandem, rather than having all these different groups with different ideas and different split goals. It'll be more effective if we can work together."
SJP also works alongside other pro-Palestine groups outside of ASU, such as the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, founded by volunteer coordinator Mohyeddin Abdulaziz.
"There are many young people who are trying to be creative and imaginative about how we're going to work in the new era," Abdulaziz said. "A new coalition is forming up. It's called the movement for democracy, justice and peace, and this will be basically trying to make democracy work for our communities."
Abdulaziz said H.R. 9495 is a strong move by Congress to target nonprofits unfairly and disrupt freedom of expression. He also identified the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee as an organization H.R. 9495 could target, expressing his distaste for the decision.
"These are civil rights organizations," Abdulaziz said. "They have been admired, appreciated, and their contributions to our democracy are great, and they need to be allowed."
The Senate, where Democrats currently have the majority, received the bill on Dec. 2. However, after the 2024 Senate election, Republicans will control the Senate when the 119th Congressional session begins in January.
"They need to understand this is not going to work," Abdulaziz said. "Whatever they do, we will not be silent, and we will continue our struggle. We are very determined to protect our rights."
Abdulaziz also said APSA will continue to provide resources for individuals who wish to stay involved and educated on ongoing conflicts that matter most to them.
"People are organizing and getting ready to do whatever they need to do to protect our communities," Abdulaziz said. "We are in this together, not one community or another community. We are all of us, as Americans."
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Sophia Ramirez, Tiya Talwar and Alexis Heichman.
Reach the reporter at gheadle@asu.edu and @George_Headley7 on X.
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George is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked at Times Media Group.
