In a letter shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) notified Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and newly appointed IRS CEO Frank Bisignano about the severe threats multiple antisemitic, Chinese Communist Party-backed, terrorist-linked organizations pose to U.S. national security and pressed for the revocation of their tax-exempt statuses.
“In light of the anniversary of the October 2023 violent attack on Israel, along with recent acts of political violence and the continued disruptive activities of previously identified organizations that have been sowing chaos in the United States and have links to designated foreign terrorist groups, it is imperative that action is taken to ensure tax-exempt groups are operating within their tax-exempt purpose,” the letter says.
LAWMAKERS INVESTIGATE CHINA-BACKED NGOS
The letter highlights groups that incited antisemitic riots on college campuses, promoted calls for Israel’s destruction, amplified harassment of Jewish students, and maintained direct funding ties to foreign terrorist organizations, such as Hamas.
Those organizations include the Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, American Muslims for Palestine, Islamic Relief USA, the Alliance for Global Justice, the WESPAC Foundation, the Tides Foundation, the People’s Media Project, also known as the Palestine Chronicle, and the People’s Forum.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group focused on countering the defamation of the Jewish community, AJP’s leadership “frequently engages” in antisemitic rhetoric and calls to support violence against Israel, and, as depicted in an FBI memorandum, a current AMP board member was heavily involved in Hamas operations overseas.
Other organizations that promote antisemitic narratives, such as the People’s Forum, receive a large share of their donations from China-based philanthropists with ties to the country’s communist regime.
These organizations were also flagged to the Biden White House, with lawmakers repeatedly urging executive action against them. Yet, predictably, those calls went unanswered.
In June 2024, for instance, the committee sent a letter to a Biden IRS appointee demanding that the People’s Media Project lose its tax-exempt status. The request followed reports that one of the group’s so-called “journalists” was, in fact, a terrorist who held Israeli hostages in his home on behalf of Hamas.
Months later, Smith sent a similar letter urging former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel to revoke the tax-exempt status of eight organizations with ties to Hamas and terrorist-linked organizations, as well as entities fueling antisemitic protests on U.S. college campuses and violence in the United States.
His call went unanswered.
However, under President Donald Trump, Americans can be more confident that national security and taxpayer interests will be defended through decisive executive action against hate-filled terrorist groups.
Trump has pledged repeatedly to take an uncompromising stance against China’s regime.
Just months into his second term, Trump’s tariff war with Beijing, along with pressure on Chinese allies and proxies, such as Iran and Venezuela, has demonstrated his commitment to shielding the U.S. from foreign adversaries.
On the matter of antisemitic terrorism, the Trump administration has likewise fought vigorously to curb the spread of antisemitism across the country.
TRUMP FIGHTS TO REVERSE CHINA’S INFILTRATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of hundreds of student visas belonging to Hamas sympathizers in the U.S. At the same time, Trump reinforced his position by signing multiple executive orders targeting antisemitism on college campuses.
Trump has vowed to continue fighting antisemitism for the remainder of his presidency. With the latest revelations uncovered by the House, he now has an even greater opportunity to follow through on that commitment.
