Watchdog unleashes database to expose 'loopholes' as $5B in foreign cash floods US nonprofits
Americans for Public Trust, a government transparency advocacy group, is releasing a new database that tracks more than $5 billion in foreign spending, bankrolling politically active nonprofits in the U.S.The...
By Fox News · Fox News
Americans for Public Trust, a government transparency advocacy group, is releasing a new database that tracks more than $5 billion in foreign spending, bankrolling politically active nonprofits in the U.S. The tool, the first of its kind, aims to provide a searchable database that catalogs 523 groups and 12,090 records of foreign contributions to nonprofit organizations that, under current law, aren’t required to disclose the names of their donors, stemming from provisions passed under the Tax Reform Act of 1969. The database also reinforces the cautionary warnings from some lawmakers that those contributions are having an outsized influence on American discourse. At a hearing on the matter earlier this year, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., blasted the privileges that nonprofits enjoy that he believes are being abused. CRUZ PUSHES BILL TO HOLD TAX-EXEMPT SPONSORS ACCOUNTABLE AS DOJ PROBES SINGHAM NETWORK "It is clear the status quo is unacceptable. Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right. It exists to support legitimate charitable and educational work that strengthens our communities, not to serve as cover for foreign propaganda, election interference, or activities that undermine our national interest," Smith said in a press release. Fox News Digital is not aware of evidence that the Department of Justice is investigating or considering charges against groups in the database with any criminal behavior. But Caitlin Sutherland, executive director for Americans for Public Trust, thinks maybe that should change — that the law itself should change. "That’s exactly the problem. It should be illegal for foreign influence to permeate our political system and right now it’s not. Our database is designed to give them the information they need to address these loopholes and close them once and for all," Sutherland said. The tool allows users to search specific organizations and their contributions. It also provides a timeline of when the con…