The House Ways and Means Committee has renewed demands for financial records and other documents from three nonprofits linked to technology entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, warning that their leaders could be required to answer questions under oath if they do not comply by Tuesday. The committee has not publicly said it has issued deposition subpoenas to any individuals.
The organizations are The People’s Forum, a New York City activist group; BreakThrough News, a nonprofit media outlet that shares an address with The People’s Forum; and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a Massachusetts-based think tank. The Republican-led panel says it is examining whether money moving through Singham’s tax-exempt nonprofit network has been used to advance Chinese Communist Party interests in the United States, and whether existing tax rules sufficiently guard against foreign influence.
Committee Chairman Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican, said in a statement that the groups should provide the requested documents or their leaders would face questions under oath. The panel has identified 21 possible witnesses, according to the source report: eight associated with The People’s Forum, seven with BreakThrough News and six with Tricontinental. The list includes executives and staff at the organizations, as well as Singham, identified as chairman of Tricontinental’s international advisory board.
The dispute has developed over more than a year. The committee first sought records from The People’s Forum in September 2025, then added BreakThrough News and Tricontinental to the inquiry in February 2026. After the groups challenged the requests, lawmakers narrowed them in May and issued subpoenas to the organizations in July. The requests concern funding tied to foreign sources, financial arrangements, communications with Singham and other foreign interests, donors and overseas grants.
The organizations say the inquiry improperly targets their political views and activities protected by the First Amendment. Attorneys for BreakThrough News and The People’s Forum objected in August, arguing that the committee’s demands exceeded its legislative authority. In written responses dated Aug. 7, the attorneys compared the inquiry to investigations by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1940s and 1950s. The groups also said they might respond if lawmakers narrowed or revised their demands. The committee has rejected their characterization, saying its focus is on financial matters and organizational structure, not political views or journalism.
BreakThrough News condemned the renewed demands in an Oct. 9 statement, saying the committee was targeting its journalists. The outlet said it does not take outside editorial direction and that major donations come from U.S. organizations. On its BT Live program, news director Zoe Alexandra and chief correspondent Rania Khalek criticized the prospect of individual depositions. The outlet has encouraged supporters to oppose the investigation and contribute toward its legal costs.
The committee’s inquiry also follows earlier reporting cited in its correspondence that estimated about $40.3 million went to the three organizations: $22.44 million to The People’s Forum, $16.76 million to Tricontinental and $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media Inc., BreakThrough News’ parent organization. Those amounts are attributed to a Fox News Digital investigation. The committee alleges that money passed through shell companies and donor-advised funds, which it says can obscure the original source of contributions.
Separately, the source reports that Singham is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation in the Southern District of New York concerning alleged financial offenses connected to his nonprofit funding network. Possible offenses under examination include wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering. No charges against Singham have been announced. The source also says the three organizations and their attorneys were contacted for comment on the latest demands but had not responded by publication.
