Feb 10 • 14:00 UTC 🇺🇸 USA Fox News

Foreign billionaires funnel $2.6B to US advocacy groups to influence policy, watchdog report claims

A report by Americans for Public Trust claims that over $2.6 billion has been funneled by foreign entities into American advocacy groups to influence policy.

A recent report by the conservative watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT) raised serious concerns regarding the influence of foreign money in American politics. Just before a House Ways & Means Committee hearing designed to investigate foreign interventions in U.S. nonprofits, the report revealed that foreign entities have contributed over $2.65 billion to various advocacy groups across the country. This issue is compounded by existing loopholes in U.S. law that enable foreign nationals to influence American political discourse indirectly through nonprofit organizations, despite their inability to contribute directly to political campaigns.

The upcoming hearing, aptly titled 'Foreign Influence in American Non-profits: Unmasking Threats from Beijing and Beyond', aims to shed light on these foreign contributions, particularly focusing on the potential influences emanating from entities associated with countries like China. The report emphasizes the urgency of the situation, informing that foreign funds can significantly impact political narratives and undermine national interests. Lawmakers are growing increasingly wary of the implications this influx of foreign dollars can have on domestic policy formation and public opinion.

The report's findings have hit a nerve with House Republicans who are sounding the alarm over threats posed by foreign adversarial organizations, particularly those linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Lawmakers are calling for stricter regulations around foreign donations to ensure that American politics remain free from undue influence. As the political landscape continues to grapple with issues surrounding election integrity and foreign influence, this report adds another layer of complexity, highlighting the critical need for transparency in nonprofit funding streams that intersect with political advocacy.

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