Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

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

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

Read More

The State of Health in America: A Political and Scientific Crossfire

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Finance Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The State of Health in America: A Political and Scientific Crossfire

At the heart of the Trump administration’s health agenda is a dramatic reorientation of public health priorities. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared during a Senate hearing last week:

“We at HHS are enacting a once-in-a-generation shift from a sick-care system, to a true health care system that tackles the root causes of chronic disease.”

“Make America Healthy Again” has been met with both praise and fierce resistance. Republican Senator Mike Crapo supported the initiative, saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
When Politicians Pick Voters: Why Gerrymandering Is Undermining Democracy

An image depicting a map of a district with unusually shaped boundaries, highlighting how areas are divided in a non-compact or fragmented way.

AI generated

When Politicians Pick Voters: Why Gerrymandering Is Undermining Democracy

The partisan fight to draw maps that determine how Americans are represented has entered a dangerous spiral. Texas is racing ahead with a mid-decade congressional redraw designed to lock in additional seats after President Donald J. Trump called upon state lawmakers to find five seats. California’s leaders responded in kind to offset the Texas map, but will hold a special election in which voters must decide whether to put aside the state’s Congressional maps drawn by an independent redistricting commission for the next three election cycles. Other states are openly weighing similar moves. But this “map wars” logic is dangerous, and voters from all backgrounds stand to lose as districts harden into safe seats and politicians’ accountability to voters further withers.

Large majorities of Americans say that gerrymandering — which lets politicians pick their voters instead of the other way around — is unfair and a problem. When politicians and party insiders draw their own districts, the maps can be engineered to protect incumbents, not voters. As a result, gerrymandering contributes to the erosion of public confidence in elections. It lessens people’s sense that change can happen, and reduces the ability of voters to hold leaders accountable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Is Trump Serious About Banning Mail-In Ballots… or Is It Rage-Bait?
Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash.

Is Trump Serious About Banning Mail-In Ballots… or Is It Rage-Bait?

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, claiming he was going to “lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots,” adding that he would sign an executive order ahead of the 2026 midterms. However, Trump has yet to sign such an order.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Other America and Politics of Spectacle

America is two very different countries for its diverse population - one that thrives in abundance and another that stumbles from crisis to crisis.

Getty Images, Bloomberg Creative

The Other America and Politics of Spectacle

In 2024, Americans were promised a year of renewal. The election was meant to usher in stability after years of tumult, a chance to repair what had been so badly frayed. Instead, the campaign season laid bare a more uncomfortable truth: the United States is not simply divided by partisan politics. It is, in practice, two very different countries—one that thrives in abundance and another that stumbles from crisis to crisis, hoping not to slip further behind.

The numbers are stark. More than 40 million Americans lived in poverty last year. Nearly 14 million children went hungry. Homelessness surged to almost 772,000 people—an 18 percent rise, the sharpest increase ever recorded. Meanwhile, credit card debt soared past $1.14 trillion, with delinquency rates at their highest in a decade. For families who once defined the middle class, the American Dream now resembles an eviction notice.

Keep ReadingShow less