Why It Matters

The House Ways and Means Committee will markup four bills on Wednesday, July 22, that target foreign money flowing into U.S. nonprofits and political groups, signaling escalating bipartisan concern over transparency in the nonprofit sector. H.R. 9772, the Foreign Funding Transparency Act; H.R. 9771, the Stopping Foreign Influence in Elections Act of 2026; H.R. 9721, the Fiscal Sponsorship Transparency Act of 2026; and H.R. 9722, the Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act of 2026, follow months of committee investigation into transparency gaps and revelations about foreign donations funneling through platforms and into tax-exempt organizations.

The Big Picture

The timing of the July 22 hearing reflects a broader congressional focus on money flows into political and charitable organizations. On June 10, the House Administration Committee held a full hearing focused on preventing fraudulent donations and verifying campaign contributions.

The four bills take different approaches to the transparency gaps. The Foreign Funding Transparency Act would establish new disclosure requirements for foreign money flowing into U.S. nonprofits. The Stopping Foreign Influence in Elections Act of 2026 targets foreign donations reaching political groups. The Fiscal Sponsorship Transparency Act of 2026, introduced July 16, would require charitable organizations to report their fiscal sponsorship arrangements in greater detail to the IRS, closing a loophole where groups can operate under another organization's tax-exempt umbrella without public visibility.

At a Feb. 12 hearing, testimony detailed how Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss's funding reached Super PACs through the 1630 Fund, an intermediary group. A joint interim staff report from the House Administration, Judiciary, and Oversight and Government Committees later found donations poured through ActBlue from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Colombia, and other countries, though ActBlue has consistently denied wrongdoing.

The Bottom Line

With the ActBlue dispute still unresolved and the religious organizations bill likely to draw pushback over how far it limits IRS discretion, the markup could turn into as much a fight over the definition of foreign influence as over disclosure mechanics. How committee members balance new transparency mandates against free speech and religious liberty concerns will shape whether these bills clear committee with bipartisan support or split along party lines.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article