OMB Watch released a paper today, An Attack on Nonprofit Speech: Death by a Thousand Cuts, that provides a summary of how the Bush administration and conservative allies have effectively moved to control nonprofit speech. Instead of a single legislative or regulatory proposal that would limit nonprofit speech, the article notes, the Bush administration and conservative allies have proposed or begun implementing a number of proposals that are akin to a “death by a thousand cuts.” These “cuts” have suddenly accelerated in the last year.

The article describes three areas in which nonprofit speech has been affected:

• Attacks on nonprofit advocacy, particularly when there are disagreements with Bush administration policies;
• Limits imposed by government on nonprofit speech, particularly targeted to those working on issues -- such as reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, and international development -- where there may be ideological differences with the administration; and
• Changes made by nonprofits resulting from fear of how laws such as the USA Patriot Act are being implemented.