The White House is not drafting or considering an order targeting nonprofit organizations’ tax-exempt status, a White House official said Tuesday.
The comments come after rumors swirled in energy and environmental policy groups in recent days that President Donald Trump might attempt to revoke green groups’ tax-exempt status, potentially on Earth Day.
Asked Tuesday whether the president was considering any actions to target nonprofit organizations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters she would check in with the White House policy team.
In response to a request for additional comment, a White House official told POLITICO’s E&E News later Tuesday in an email, “No such orders are being drafted or considered at this time.”
Environmentalists’ concerns were amplified when Trump suggested last week that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status after the school defied the administration’s demands.
Donations to major environmental groups that have 501(c)(3) status are considered charitable and tax-deductible, and losing that status could hurt green groups’ fundraising efforts.
The president does not have the legal authority to request tax investigations into particular people or entities. A broad presidential directive to target nonprofits’ tax-exempt status could also encompass conservative organizations.
