Six Key Moments: Hearing on Foreign Influence in American Non-profits, Unmasking Threats from Beijing and Beyond

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Foreign actors are taking advantage of our tax-exempt sector to sow division, chaos, and hate in communities across the country while corrupting America's political discourse. During a Ways and Means Committee hearing on foreign influence in America's tax-exempt sector, expert witnesses highlighted the immediate need for more transparency to root out the foreign influence lurking in America's tax-exempt sector.

The Ways and Means Committee is investigating the money trail between foreign actors and tax-exempt organizations that have been fueling antisemitism, interfering in our elections, and spreading foreign government propaganda. That work has led to referrals to the Biden and Trump IRS of eleven tax-exempt organizations for investigation and possible revocation of their tax-exempt status.

The day before the Committee's hearing, Chairman Smith sent letters to Tricontinental and BreakThrough News, two organizations in a network of non-profits linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and operating in the United States. The network is funded by Neville Roy Singham, a former U.S. technology mogul living in Shanghai with close ties to the CCP.

Foreign Billionaires "Have Their Thumb On the Scale of American Politics"

The Committee's investigation into the non-profit sector shows that foreign money influencing American politics is prolific, with a single Swiss billionaire contributing $280 million to one left wing 501(c)(4) entity.

Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08): "Ms. Sutherland, how common is this type of foreign influence and foreign funding in our politics, and what sort of action should we or the IRS be looking at to combat it?"

Caitlin Sutherland, Executive Director, Americans for Public Trust: "It's unfortunately all too common that foreign billionaires and foreign charities seem to have their thumb on the scale of American politics. We know that Hansjorg Wyss has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars, as has Christopher Hohn, and a smattering of foreign charities. Together, that identifies $2.7 billion of foreign money running through the non-profit sector. That is a shocking amount to both the right and the left…The top 501(c)(4) on the left, the 1630 Fund has received $280 million from Hansjorg Wyss. Whereas the top 501(c)(4) on the right, One Nation and American Action Network, have an internal prohibition on accepting money from foreign nationals…"

Existing Disclosure Requirements Fail to Shine a Light on the Flow of Foreign Money

Many tax-exempt organizations allow other groups to operate under the umbrella of their tax-exempt status in a practice known as "fiscal sponsorship." In one extreme case, the Alliance for Global Justice fiscally sponsored a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Biden Treasury Department. Form 990, the form all tax-exempt organizations are required to file, does not require any information about the projects that tax-exempt organizations may be fiscally sponsoring. Witnesses urged the Committee to examine reforms to the Form 990.

Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01): "How would you design a modernized [990 Form], because our 990 Form barely provides any useful information, so we could actually see what's really going on…How would you change the 990 Form?"

Bruce Dubinsky, forensic accountant: "I would start by taking a fresh look at the form and basically reconstructing it from top to bottom. I think there's some good information on the current 990. There are a lot of different schedules and sub-schedules, but it needs to be designed in a way that that information can be easily used and not for political purposes. I'm totally against that, but for proper purposes by the IRS, for transparency. So there could be a series of questions put on there on fiscal sponsorships…I think if you have some questions along those lines: Who's the ultimate beneficial owner? Do you know if certain contributions are above a certain threshold? We need to know who's behind those. I think that that's very important."

Foreign Nationals Exploit Loopholes to Interfere in Our Elections

Foreign donors exploit a loophole in the U.S. tax code that allows 501(c)(4)s to donate to Super PACs without the tax-exempt organization having to disclose the source of that funding. Because of this loophole, foreigners can contribute to American political campaigns, in potential violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Rep. Carol Miller (WV-01): "The Federal Election Campaign Act is clear; foreign nationals cannot donate to American political campaigns. However, your research shows a massive gap in how this is enforced. Foreign nationals can donate to a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, which can then turn around and fund a Super PAC or other political entity. In this scenario, is the tax-exempt organization required to disclose the identity of the foreign donor, and what are the real-world consequences of this 'donor scrubbing' on the integrity of our federal elections?"

Caitlin Sutherland, Executive Director, American for Public Trust: "You've identified an alarming loophole…We actually see this play out in real time with the 1630 Fund. They are simultaneously funded by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and bankrolling Super PACs. This happened in the '18 cycle, 2020, 2022, 2024 and it's going to happen again in 2026, if we don't stop this. The problem we've identified is that there is no real requirement that a 501(c)(4) on the Form 990 discloses anywhere that they are receiving foreign funds. This is a huge threat to foreign interference in our elections, and we must close this loophole."

Democrat Witness' Non-profit Took Money From Swiss Billionaire

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss donates millions each year to several U.S. tax-exempt groups, including Public Citizen, where the Democrat witness is co-president. Public Citizen has received funding from the Wyss Foundation, which is funded by Wyss himself. Wyss continues to give millions to tax-exempt groups engaged in political campaigns.

Rep. Rudy Yakym (IN-02): "Mr. Thompson asked you and the other witnesses to 'clarify under oath that your organizations have never received funds from a foreign national or foreign corporation.' Your reply was, 'Not to my knowledge.' Public Citizen's 2014 annual report counts the Wyss Foundation as a 'major donor,' and it has named the New Venture Fund, a known vehicle used by Hansjorg Wyss to launder his foreign influence, as a donor to your publicly available report since 2012. I'd like to give you a chance to clarify, that under your certification, under oath that you have not taken funds from a foreign national."

Robert Weissman, Co-President, Public Citizen: "I will clarify that you are accurate. Our policy of affirmatively not taking foreign money is a more recent policy, and we have affirmatively taken efforts to make sure we do not. I do not believe we had considerably in the past, but the policy was not formalized…There's no question what you're reporting is correct."

Social Media Campaigns Turn Protestors Into Pawns of Foreign Governments

Many of the recent wave of disruptive protests are fueled by social media outrage manufactured by non-profits. One of the worst actors is The People's Forum, a major player in Roy Singham's network, with strong connections to the CCP.

Rep. Nathaniel Moran (TX-01): "A recent Network Contagion Research Institute report specifically analyzed the Singham network, a donor portfolio linked to Neville Roy Singham and its ties to organizations like the People's Forum, where he funneled at least $20 million, and the ANSWER Coalition, a pro-Palestinian organization. Your data shows these groups effectively co-opted domestic activism to push anti-American and pro-CCP talking points following October 7 attacks. Can you explain the mechanics of how the Singham network uses social media or AI to amplify these CCP-aligned narratives?"

Adam Sohn, Co-founder, Narravance: "Every time Americans see these staged and amplified protests that shut down bridges or block hospitals, they should know that these are multifaceted efforts. They're funded by millions of dollars designed to rile up Americans and join these foreign-aligned, hostile nations to the American public.

"I want to give you an example. If you look at Wall Street, if you have a million people on social media, say, buy this stock now. That's legal. If you have a bot army that looks like a million people being run by one person that says, buy this stock now, that's illegal…I just want to try to apply that now to what's happening with foreign influence. They're using these narratives, and it actually brings about authentic activity. Just like you'd have in the stock market, if you have a bot army, it looks like a million people, it starts to get regular people engaged…"

Rep. Moran: "We're not talking about curbing free speech here. We're talking about refusing to subsidize foreign agents that are engaging in covert activities that are impacting our policies and our politics in the United States. And that is not what we should be doing through our tax code."

Singham Network Exposed: $100 Million, CCP-Aligned Non-profits Sow Chaos

Neville Roy Singham, an American technology mogul living in Shanghai, spent $100 million to establish a multi-pronged, non-profit network that aims to cause chaos in pursuit of its anti-American ideology. The money flows through a series of shell companies and donor-advised funds to mask Singham's donations.

Adam Sohn, Co-founder, Narravance: "Non-profits were never intended to organize street violence, clash with police, shut down infrastructure, block hospitals and airports or service proxies for foreign governments…Born in Connecticut and became a near-billionaire in the United States, [Neville Roy] Singham relocated to China and now operates as a CCP-aligned influence agent, coordinating U.S. nonprofits to destabilize American society from within. Singham attended Chinese Communist Party propaganda trainings, shared offices with Chinese state media in Shanghai, and exploited U.S. tax law to move tens of millions of dollars through donor-advised funds, primarily via Goldman Sachs. Together, these entities form a coordinated $100 million system, the Singham network.

"The ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation mobilize the protesters. The People's Forum trains and coordinates the activists. BreakThrough News handles messaging and media amplification. The impact of this money is ongoing: federal property vandalized at Union Station; American flags burned and police officers assaulted. Airports blocked at JFK and LAX. Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges shut down. Ambulances and commuters disrupted. Wall Street blockaded; holiday commerce halted at Macy's Herald Square; and immigration and law enforcement facilities targeted. This is not grassroots protest. It is a repeatable system for paralyzing American infrastructure on demand, financed through U.S. tax law, and aligned with a hostile foreign power. It is an active vulnerability we cannot afford to leave intact."