Sens. Budd, Justice, Hawley, Ricketts Introduce Bill to Increase Transparency of Foreign Funds Fueling Left-Wing Agitators
FRONT Act would require U.S. nonprofits to register under FARA if they accept funds from hostile nations
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) led his colleagues in introducing the Foreign Registration Obligations for Nonprofit Transparency (FRONT) Act today, which would require nonprofits in the United States that receive funding from foreign principals in countries of concern, such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The bill would also require nonprofits to disclose the activities they use foreign funds to engage in to mitigate future unrest.
“There are serious indicators recent left-wing riots, protests, and rallies resulting in violence and political unrest are funded by foreign agitators. It’s time for American nonprofit organizations to be transparent about where they are getting their funding from. No foreign country with hostile intentions should be meddling in our democratic process. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the FRONT Act to increase transparency and help put a stop to this,” said Senator Budd.
“Let me just say this and be clear: foreign influence in our country’s nonprofits ends now. The FRONT Act ensures that any money coming from our adversaries, like China, will be fully disclosed. This bill is common-sense, provides much needed transparency, and I’m proud to join Senator Budd in this effort,” said Senator Justice.
“I am concerned that U.S. non-profits are receiving foreign funding from our adversaries and countries of concern. Senator Budd’s FRONT Act hardens the United States’ ability to monitor potentially malign influence of non-profits from foreign adversaries. In order to stop adversaries such as Communist China, Russia, and Iran, we must have the tools to better understand their efforts to infiltrate our American system and influence our institutions,” said Senator Ricketts.
Senators Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) joined Senator Budd in introducing the bill.
Read the full bill text HERE.
Background
Recent civil unrest has raised alarms about possible foreign influence impacting U.S. nonprofits that organize and provide material support for protests.
For example, when it comes to riots against ICE enforcement operations, FBI Director Kash Patel has publicly stated, “The FBI is investigating any and all monetary connections responsible for these riots.” Reports have also indicated that “[the] socialist group [which] promoted the chaotic anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles…is tied to a network of groups bankrolled by a pro-China millionaire.”
But this is just the surface of a deeply troubling trend of foreign interference in our political processes. As former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines claimed, “We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters,” following the October 7 attacks.
What we’re witnessing is not isolated. Safeguarding our political system from continued foreign interference must be a top national security priority to protect the integrity of our democracy.
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