Skip to content
Project 2025
Donate to support
diverse voices
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories
We Can’t Let Hegseth Win His War on Women

We Can’t Let Hegseth Win His War on Women

Trump’s Plan to Gather Data on Every Voter Will Cripple Democracy

Trump’s Plan to Gather Data on Every Voter Will Cripple Democracy

A car with a bullet hole in the windshield.

States Sue D.C. at Record Levels — MN Case May Be the Turning Point

People voting at voting booths.

The Quiet Campaign That Could Rewrite the 2028 Election

Can Things Get Even Worse for Mike Johnson?

Can Things Get Even Worse for Mike Johnson?

Fact brief: Can foreigners indirectly fund political ads by giving money to a U.S. nonprofit that then gives money to a U.S. super PAC?

U.S. Capitol surrounded by money
Greggory DiSalvo/Getty Images
Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin Watch
By Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin WatchMar 18, 2024
Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin Watch
See More Writings by author

This fact brief was originally published by Wisconsin Watch. Read the original here. Fact briefs are published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network, and republished by The Fulcrum. Visit Gigafact to learn more.

Can foreigners indirectly fund political ads by giving money to a U.S. nonprofit that then gives money to a U.S. super PAC?

Yes.

Federal law prohibits a foreign national — someone who is not a U.S. citizen and not lawfully a permanent resident — from making contributions in connection with any federal, state or local election.

But there’s a loophole.

Foreign nationals can donate money to social welfare organizations, also known as 501(c)(4) groups. Those nonprofits, such as the NRA and an arm of Planned Parenthood, can contribute to super PACs.

A super PAC can spend unlimited sums to advocate for or against political candidates.

Federal Election Commission chair Sean Cooksey told the U.S. House Administration Committee that the loophole is legal, as long as a foreign national donor doesn’t direct the nonprofit to channel money to a super PAC.

Committee chair, Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, who represents southeast Wisconsin, introduced a bill in July 2023 to restrict foreign nationals’ contributions to 501(c)(4) groups. The House of Representatives has not voted on the measure.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Federal Election Commission Foreign nationals

U.S. Code Voting and Elections

Internal Revenue Service Social Welfare Organizations

Nonprofit Law Blog 501(c)(4) Social Welfare Organizations

Planned Parenthood Donor FAQ

charitynavigator.org NRA

Open Secrets Super PACs

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil Q&A at the Full Committee Hearing on FEC Oversight

US Congress All Actions: H.R.4563 — 118th Congress (2023-2024) All Information (Except Text)

US Congress H.R. 4563


Latest news

USA, Washington D.C., Supreme Court building and blurred American flag against blue sky.
Ethics & Leadership

Hypocrisy in Leadership Corrodes Democracy

ICE Shooting of Renee Good Revives Kent State’s Stark Warning
Democracy

ICE Shooting of Renee Good Revives Kent State’s Stark Warning

Portrait of John Adams.
Ethics & Leadership

John Adams and the Line a Republic Must Not Cross

Read More

Silence, Signals, and the Unfinished Story of the Abandoned Disability Rule

Waiting for the Door to Open: Advocates and older workers are left in limbo as the administration’s decision to abandon a harsh disability rule exists only in private assurances, not public record.

AI-created animation

Silence, Signals, and the Unfinished Story of the Abandoned Disability Rule

We reported in the Fulcrum on November 30th that in early November, disability advocates walked out of the West Wing, believing they had secured a rare reversal from the Trump administration of an order that stripped disability benefits from more than 800,000 older manual laborers.

The public record has remained conspicuously quiet on the matter. No press release, no Federal Register notice, no formal statement from the White House or the Social Security Administration has confirmed what senior officials told Jason Turkish and his colleagues behind closed doors in November: that the administration would not move forward with a regulation that could have stripped disability benefits from more than 800,000 older manual laborers. According to a memo shared by an agency official and verified by multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions, an internal meeting in early November involved key SSA decision-makers outlining the administration's intent to halt the proposal. This memo, though not publicly released, is said to detail the political and social ramifications of proceeding with the regulation, highlighting its unpopularity among constituents who would be affected by the changes.

Keep ReadingShow less
How Trump turned a January 6 death into the politics of ‘protecting women’

A memorial for Ashli Babbitt sits near the US Capitol during a Day of Remembrance and Action on the one year anniversary of the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

(John Lamparski/NurPhoto/AP)

How Trump turned a January 6 death into the politics of ‘protecting women’

In the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, President Donald Trump quickly took up the cause of a 35-year-old veteran named Ashli Babbitt.

“Who killed Ashli Babbitt?” he asked in a one-sentence statement on July 1, 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gerrymandering Test the Boundaries of Fair Representation in 2026

Supreme Court, Allen v. Milligan Illegal Congressional Voting Map

Gerrymandering Test the Boundaries of Fair Representation in 2026

A wave of redistricting battles in early 2026 is reshaping the political map ahead of the midterm elections and intensifying long‑running fights over gerrymandering and democratic representation.

In California, a three‑judge federal panel on January 15 upheld the state’s new congressional districts created under Proposition 50, ruling 2–1 that the map—expected to strengthen Democratic advantages in several competitive seats—could be used in the 2026 elections. The following day, a separate federal court dismissed a Republican lawsuit arguing that the maps were unconstitutional, clearing the way for the state’s redistricting overhaul to stand. In Virginia, Democratic lawmakers have advanced a constitutional amendment that would allow mid‑decade redistricting, a move they describe as a response to aggressive Republican map‑drawing in other states; some legislators have openly discussed the possibility of a congressional map that could yield 10 Democratic‑leaning seats out of 11. In Missouri, the secretary of state has acknowledged in court that ballot language for a referendum on the state’s congressional map could mislead voters, a key development in ongoing litigation over the fairness of the state’s redistricting process. And in Utah, a state judge has ordered a new congressional map that includes one Democratic‑leaning district after years of litigation over the legislature’s earlier plan, prompting strong objections from Republican lawmakers who argue the court exceeded its authority.

Keep ReadingShow less
New Year’s Resolutions for Congress – and the Country

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) (L) and Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) lead a group of fellow Republicans through Statuary Hall on the way to a news conference on the 28th day of the federal government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on October 28, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla

New Year’s Resolutions for Congress – and the Country

Every January 1st, many Americans face their failings and resolve to do better by making New Year’s Resolutions. Wouldn’t it be delightful if Congress would do the same? According to Gallup, half of all Americans currently have very little confidence in Congress. And while confidence in our government institutions is shrinking across the board, Congress is near rock bottom. With that in mind, here is a list of resolutions Congress could make and keep, which would help to rebuild public trust in Congress and our government institutions. Let’s start with:

1 – Working for the American people. We elect our senators and representatives to work on our behalf – not on their behalf or on behalf of the wealthiest donors, but on our behalf. There are many issues on which a large majority of Americans agree but Congress can’t. Congress should resolve to address those issues.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2026