U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce, pulled a provision from proposed legislation that would have allowed the Secretary of State to revoke passports for U.S. citizens it deems has provided “material support for terrorism.”
The move came after backlash from civil society groups that feared the vague language in H.R. 5300, dubbed the Department of State Policy Provisions Act, could be used to infringe upon people’s First Amendment rights.
Groups such as The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, sent letters to the House Foreign Affairs Committee to oppose the so-called ‘passport killer’ provision.
The provision’s language, they argued, would allow Secretary of State Marco Rubio to silence those critical of Israel and “strip Americans of their fundamental right to travel.”
Mast, who filed the bill Sept. 11, previously has described pro-Palestinian activists as “terrorist sympathizers,” such as Columbia graduate student and green card holder Mahmoud Khalil.
Mast’s bill resembles language used in another bill that recently was shot down in Congress.
Lawmakers tried to pass a law, titled the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would have revoked tax-exempt status from any nonprofit considered to be a “terrorist supporting organization.”
The law did not make it into the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill after it was heavily lobbied against, including by over 100 organizations that signed an open letter by the American Civil Liberties Union.
On Sept. 15, Mast struck the passport provision from HR 5300, which covers everything from the Russian war in Ukraine to the crisis in Haiti. On Sept. 17 the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Mast’s amendment, along with dozens of others, but the final language of the most recent vote is not yet publicly available.
The bill is still in the introductory phases and is yet to pass the House.
Mast’s office has not responded to TCPalm’s requests for comment.
Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Rep. Brian Mast cuts ‘Passport Killer’ provision from Foreign Affairs bill after backlash
Reporting by Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
