[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 88 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S3175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Mr. President, on a completely different matter, 
as Democrats have pushed their massive political takeover bill, S. 1, 
Americans' First Amendment rights and privacy rights have been thrust 
into center stage. The legislation contains multiple elements that 
would chill Americans' exercise of free speech and let Washington 
bureaucrats hoard more of citizens' private information without cause. 
We know exactly how this could go wrong.
  Remember President Obama's IRS scandal? Unelected bureaucrats treated 
organizations differently and subjected Americans to unequal scrutiny 
depending on their beliefs. Nonprofits with a whiff--just a whiff--of 
conservative beliefs were slow-walked and singled out for unfair 
treatment. Or think back to 2014. The Obama administration had to reach 
a settlement after a government worker leaked confidential information 
about a conservative group, which was in violation of Federal law. 
Unsurprisingly, those private details found their way to a liberal 
group that had plenty of ideas about what to do with them.
  Courts have found that the State of California has repeatedly leaked 
or inappropriately released confidential information about nonprofits' 
donors. Last year, in remembering all of these incidents, the Treasury 
Department finalized action on a basic, commonsense principle: If there 
is no legitimate reason for the IRS to have certain information, then 
the IRS shouldn't collect it.
  It makes sense.
  The prior administration had the IRS stop the blanket collection of 
nonpublic information about citizens who make non---I repeat, non---
tax-deductible contributions to certain organizations. Contributions to 
501(c)(4) organizations are not tax deductible. The IRS doesn't need 
these details just for kicks and giggles, but now the Democrats' 
politica takeover bills would roll back this step and open new fronts 
in the far-left war on privacy and free speech.

  S. 1 would narrow the protections of the First Amendment. It would 
empower the Feds with new authority to track and police the speech of 
Americans. This is the same bill that would essentially make Washington 
Democrats the board of elections for every county and State in America. 
I guess, somehow, maybe, that wasn't enough.
  Well, I have worked with my colleague from Indiana, Senator Braun, on 
legislation to nip one part of this nonsense right in the bud. Our bill 
would codify the rule issued by the last administration. Americans 
would remain free from a Federal dragnet collecting private information 
that it neither needs nor uses for legitimate law enforcement 
purposes--information that can be mishandled or, worse, used to target 
and harass Americans based on their views.
  So I am proud to stand with Senator Braun, with 39 Republican 
cosponsors, and with citizens across America, across the political 
spectrum, who don't need the IRS peering into their First Amendment 
activities any more than is strictly necessary. I would certainly urge 
all of our colleagues to support our simple bill.

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