DEMOCRACY WATCH: Trump weaponizes the IRS against liberal nonprofits

Donald Trump’s reported plan to target liberal nonprofits through the IRS is about more than taxes.

On The Corner | September 2, 2026

In a recent article for The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner warns that the Trump administration’s reported effort to use the IRS against liberal nonprofits could reach far beyond a handful of prominent foundations. It could threaten the civic work that nonprofit and faith-based organizations have performed in American communities for generations.

The NAACP, the Urban League, the League of Women Voters, churches and countless community groups have registered voters, explained ballot issues, offered candidate forums and helped citizens understand when, where and how to vote. This lawful, nonpartisan work has been especially important in Black communities and other places where voters have historically faced barriers to the ballot.

That is why Robert Kuttner’s warning about the Trump administration reportedly using the IRS against liberal nonprofits reaches far beyond George Soros or a handful of national organizations.

Even if attempts to revoke tax exemptions eventually fail in court, the threat of audits, legal expenses and government retaliation could intimidate donors and cause local organizations to reduce—or abandon—their voter-engagement programs. Churches might hesitate before hosting registration drives. Foundations could avoid funding voting-rights work. Community groups may decide that helping citizens navigate the election system carries too much risk.

The distinction matters: tax-exempt charities cannot endorse candidates or operate as partisan campaign organizations, but they are permitted to conduct genuinely nonpartisan voter education and registration.

If government power is used to make trusted civic organizations afraid to perform that work, the result will not simply be fewer programs. It will mean fewer citizens receiving the information and assistance they need to exercise their rights.

Voter suppression does not always begin by closing a polling place. Sometimes it begins by intimidating the people who help voters reach it.