Earth Day came and went on April 22 without a White House announcement environmentalists had feared. But while the immediate sense of panic died down, they might not be in the clear.
Rumors swirled ahead of Earth Day that the Trump administration might use the occasion to target environmental nonprofits’ tax-exempt status. Green groups have emerged as vocal foes of the president’s policies, and speculation grew that environmentalists might be next on President Donald Trump’s list after he said his administration would be rescinding Harvard University’s tax-exempt status.
But following the speculation and a scramble to determine what such a move would entail, the White House said on Earth Day that it wasn’t drafting or considering any orders to target nonprofits’ tax-exempt status “at this time.” A White House official repeated that statement in an email this week.
Legally, the president is barred from directing the IRS to revoke tax exemptions from certain groups. But the president’s rhetoric and recent reporting about IRS discussions suggest the broader issue of nonprofits’ tax-exempt status remains a live one within the Trump administration.
