House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith has intensified oversight of three U.S. nonprofits after Fox News Digital linked them to Neville Roy Singham, a tech executive now in Shanghai. Smith's letters demand records by May 18 to trace donations, communications with Singham and fiscal sponsorship arrangements amid concerns donor-advised funds and shell entities may conceal foreign influence. Fox reporting cites roughly $278 million moving through a wider network since 2017 and identifies specific transfers through a Goldman Sachs-affiliated donor-advised fund. The groups contest the inquiry as political and constitutionally fraught; the committee maintains it is focused on financial flows and potential foreign control.
Ways and Means Chair Expands Probe Into Alleged ‘Foreign-Aligned Influence Network’ Linked to May Day Protests
Tycoon Neville Roy Singham argues the West’s role in World War II has been overstated in historical accounts.(Fox News)
House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith has escalated congressional oversight into a cluster of U.S. nonprofits that Fox News Digital reporting ties to Neville Roy Singham, an American-born technology executive now living in Shanghai. The committee’s letters allege that funds flowed through donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsorships and shell entities into organizations that promoted pro-communist and anti-American messaging and helped mobilize May Day demonstrations nationwide.
What the Committee Is Seeking
On Monday, Smith sent document requests to the People's Forum, BreakThrough BT Media Inc. and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. The chairman asked each group to produce internal communications with Singham, records of foreign-linked donations above $5,000, contracts tied to fiscal sponsorship arrangements, and lists of grants to recipients outside the U.S. The committee set a May 18 deadline for compliance.
David Chung, organizing director at the People's Forum Inc., sets up protest signs in Union Square in New York City on Saturday, March 7, 2026, ahead of an anti-war demonstration.
Allegations and Funding Traces
Fox News Digital previously reported that roughly $278 million has moved through a network of nonprofits associated with Singham since 2017. Specific transfers identified in reporting include about $22.44 million to the People's Forum and $16.76 million to Tricontinental via a Goldman Sachs-affiliated donor-advised fund, plus smaller sums to BreakThrough and other entities in the network.
Smith's Concern: The chairman describes the three named organizations as "interconnected" and is exploring whether tax-exempt status has been used to "facilitate or obscure foreign influence across an interconnected network of organizations."
Context: May Day Protests and Organizational Links
Reporting observed organizers distributing identical, bright yellow pre-printed signs at May Day events in New York City and Washington, D.C. The signs referenced the Party for Socialism and Liberation and included slogans critical of capitalism and the U.S. government. Fox's coverage describes roughly 600 groups with an estimated $2 billion in combined revenue that helped mobilize thousands of May Day actions nationwide.
Activists participate in a May Day march in New York City, Friday, May 1, 2026.
Legal Pushback and Oversight Questions
The targeted organizations and their lawyers have pushed back, arguing the inquiry is political, exceeds the committee’s jurisdiction, improperly invokes the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and threatens First Amendment protections. Smith rejected those defenses in his letters, saying they do not withstand scrutiny and maintaining that the committee is focused on financial arrangements and potential foreign influence rather than constitutionally protected speech.
Broader Government Concerns
Lawmakers and some officials at the Treasury, Justice and State Departments have expressed concern that foreign principals may be exploiting U.S. nonprofit law — including donor-advised funds, fiscal sponsorships and shell companies — to create cross-border influence infrastructure. The committee’s requests aim to map financial flows, organizational relationships and whether current tax-exempt rules are sufficient to address such networks.
Union Square, NYC pro-Gaza protest and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith
Responses and Reporting Details
Fox News Digital identified attorneys representing the groups and reported additional ties among related nonprofits and activist coalitions. The reporting also notes that a Goldman Sachs philanthropy ended its relationship with Singham in early 2024. When approached by reporters, several leaders associated with the People's Forum and allied groups declined to answer questions about Singham’s support.
The unfolding inquiry highlights a broader debate over how U.S. oversight should balance First Amendment protections with transparency and national-security concerns when alleged foreign funding supports political organizing and media activity. The Ways and Means Committee says it is considering whether legislative or regulatory reforms are needed to prevent tax-exempt status from being used to obscure foreign influence across interconnected organizations.
Help us improve.
