John,
Ted Cruz’s latest bill is one of the most dangerous assaults on civil liberties we’ve seen in decades. His Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act would expand the federal RICO statute, originally used to prosecute mob bosses, to target protest organizers, donors, and even advocacy groups.
Under this bill, any protest that turns confrontational could trigger sweeping federal charges against those who helped fund or coordinate it, even if they never committed or condoned violence. Organizing, promoting, or donating to a protest could be treated like participating in organized crime.
Cruz claims it’s about stopping “riots,” but the implications are chilling. By criminalizing the infrastructure of protest, bail funds, mutual aid networks, civil rights organizations, this legislation threatens to silence lawful dissent across the country. It’s a direct attack on the First Amendment and on every American who dares to speak truth to power.
This bill would empower the Department of Justice to seize assets, pursue conspiracy indictments, and drag peaceful activists into sprawling investigations simply for standing up to injustice. It’s the kind of weaponization of federal law we used to condemn in history books.
Tell Congress to stop Ted Cruz’s plan to criminalize protest and defend the First Amendment.
If enacted, the Stop FUNDERs Act would set a terrifying precedent. It would make it easier for future administrations to target their political opponents, labeling activists and advocacy groups as criminal enterprises. Critics warn that it could be used to intimidate movements from Black Lives Matter to climate action campaigns to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
This is not about public safety, it’s about power. Cruz and his co-sponsors, including Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, and Tommy Tuberville, want to scare ordinary people out of organizing. They are exploiting fear and division to dismantle one of the most fundamental rights in our democracy: the right to protest.
The United States cannot call itself a free nation if people are at risk of prosecution for collective action. Congress must reject this legislation before it transforms the very act of organizing into a federal crime.
Add your name now to tell Congress to reject the Stop FUNDERs Act and defend free protest in America.
Together, we can protect the constitutional freedoms generations have fought to secure.
- DFA AF Team
