May 2026: Deny Funding for Trump's New Tool for Targeting Nonprofits as "Domestic Terrorists"
BACKGROUND: In September 2025, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7). It orders the FBI, the IRS, and other federal law enforcement agencies to investigate and disrupt progressive organizations and activists as "domestic terrorists." It directs the Justice Department to compile a list of organizations and individuals based on vaguely defined ideological markers, including "anti-capitalism," "anti-Americanism," "anti-Christianity," "extremism on migration, race, and gender," and opposition to "traditional American views on family."
The New York Times reported that under NSPM-7, the FBI has formed a Mission Control Command Center staffed by ten federal agencies to "attack the funding" of progressive groups. Leaked FBI emails reviewed by the Times indicate that state and local police are also being enlisted in this effort.
Unlike previous policies, NSPM-7 explicitly extends exposure to individual funders, officers, and employees of nonprofits, subjecting them to potential criminal prosecution for "directly or indirectly" supporting targeted activities. For members of civil society organizations, including 2020 Action and its supporters, this is not an abstract concern. The memorandum puts participation in ordinary nonprofits in the same legal framework as support for terrorism.
President Trump is asking Congress to significantly increase funding to implement NSPM-7. The proposed FBI FY 2027 budget includes dedicated funding to formalize and expand its Mission Control Command Center.
Opposition is growing. The ACLU and the Brennan Center argue the directive's "vague and overbroad" language could criminalize constitutionally protected speech and civic engagement. More than 3,000 nonprofits have signed an open letter opposing it, and thirty-one members of Congress have raised formal civil liberties concerns.
ACTION: Add your voice to this opposition. Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. Urge them to provide zero funding for NSPM-7, and for the Mission Control Command Center in the FBI's FY 2027 budget. Tell them that funding NSPM-7 risks criminalizing constitutionally protected speech and association, and that nonprofit workers, donors, and members should not be treated as terrorist suspects for their civic participation.
CONTACT: Your Representative & Senators in Congress
Web: www.senate.gov, www.house.gov; leave a message via “Contact” on his/her website
Tel: 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard – ask for his/her office & leave a message)
Mail: Senator or Representative (first and last name) U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 or U. S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515
Thanks to Robert Reich and to Inequality Media Civic Action for information and a call to action on this issue
Please send a letter-to-the-editor or your local paper on this topic to educate others.
