WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) delivered the following statement at a House Select Committee on China hearing on China’s Economic Espionage and Subnational Influence in the United States

As prepared for delivery.

“Thank you Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Khanna for the opportunity to participate in this hearing. I commend you and your fellow committee members for the important work you all have been doing to expose efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate and influence our nation’s economic activities as well as our political and public discourses.

“I particularly appreciate the working relationship our two committees – the Select Committee on China and the Ways and Means Committee – have had when it comes to combating China’s harmful influence. That includes the letter that Chairman Moolenaar and I led to Treasury Secretary Bessent and IRS CEO Bisignano earlier this year calling on Treasury and the IRS to examine tax-exempt organizations here in the U.S. that have close ties to the CCP. Specifically, we raised concerns about China’s United Front tax-exempt organizations that are peddling communist propaganda and influencing our elections in violation of their tax-exempt status.

“The Ways and Means Committee has spent years investigating tax-exempt organizations. We have found that several of these organizations, which enjoy generous financial benefits due to their tax-exempt status, have been causing chaos and stoking violence in our communities, while also interfering in our political system.

“What’s even more shocking is the level to which these U.S.-based organizations are funded by foreign nationals that are influenced by foreign governments – most notably China.

“Our oversight investigation into the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to meddle in our public discourse has uncovered a large network of U.S.-based tax-exempt organizations tied to Neville Roy Singham, a wealthy American tech mogul, who operates his network out of Shanghai. Shanghai Singham enjoys close ties to the CCP and shares office space with a Chinese propaganda company which says its goal is to ‘tell China’s story well.’ Mr. Singham has also participated in a workshop about promoting the CCP internationally.

“During a hearing of the Ways and Means Committee earlier this year, an expert witness testified to how the Singham network mobilizes, trains, and amplifies protests to vandalize property, burn our flag, assault local law enforcement officers, shutdown airports and bridges in major cities like New York City and Los Angeles – all in an effort to harm our institutions and disrupt our way of life.

“The Ways and Means Committee is seeking information and documentation from three Singham network organizations: BreakThrough News, Tricontinental, and The People’s Forum. The People’s Forum alone received over $20 million from the Singham network. We have made it clear to all three that we will use every tool at our disposal, including Congressional subpoena powers, to conduct our oversight responsibilities.

“Most recently, foreign money from CCP-aligned sources has flowed into U.S. non-profits protesting data centers in what we can only assume is an attempt to undermine America’s position as the global technology leader. China would like to dominate the future of Artificial Intelligence, and it is clear they are actively seeking to exploit Americans’ legitimate concerns and sow discord in our own backyard for one purpose: to seize this technological advantage for themselves. Americans have every right to question the size, scale and scope of projects in their backyard, but we cannot allow the U.S. tax code to be weaponized against our national security interest.

“We will follow the money and get to the bottom of the dark web of funding sources and fiscal sponsorships that support rogue tax-exempt organizations – often at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Thank you again to the members of the China Select Committee, Chairman Moolenaar, Ranking Member Khanna for continuing to investigate the harmful influence China and its proxies are having on American communities. This work is incredibly important – not only to protect the integrity of our tax laws that govern and provide generous benefits to many of these organizations, but also to the safety and security of our communities and the health of our society.”