House Foreign Affairs panel to hold hearing on foreign influence via nonprofits

The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia scheduled an open hearing titled "Trojan Horses: Covert Foreign Malign Influence Operations in America" for Tuesday, focusing on how charities and activist groups might be exploited by foreign powers. The inquiry expands beyond prior tax-related probes by the Ways and Means Committee, which subpoenaed three nonprofits tied to Neville Roy Singham, a U.S. tech investor now residing in Shanghai.

Expert witnesses, including Sam Lyman, Mike Gonzalez and Matthew Johnson, will address alleged influence operations from China, Cuba, Iran and pro-Palestinian entities, as well as campaigns targeting U.S. artificial-intelligence and data-center development. Republicans and Democrats on the subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Bill Huizenga with ranking member Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, will lead the discussion. The hearing aligns with broader congressional efforts, such as those by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Select Committee on China, to assess foreign infiltration of the nonprofit sector.

It also follows a Justice Department grand-jury investigation into Singham’s financial activities, though no charges have been filed. The event underscores concerns that open U.S. institutions may be leveraged to shape public opinion and policy on behalf of hostile governments.