The House Ways and Means Committee subpoenaed BreakThrough News last month as part of an investigation into $39 million connected to communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham's funding network. The outlet appeared on Democracy Now!, a progressive news program, to defend itself against the probe.
BreakThrough News is one of three organizations subpoenaed by the committee. The others are People's Forum Inc., a New York-based activist organization, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which describes its work as rooted in "national liberation Marxism."
According to previous reporting cited by the committee, BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent organization of BreakThrough News, received approximately $1.1 million from Singham.
Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold software company ThoughtWorks for an estimated $785 million in 2017, now lives in Shanghai. A Fox News Digital investigation found he directed at least $278 million into six core nonprofits within a broader international network of media organizations, activist groups and think tanks.
The committee said it is examining whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence and whether Congress should strengthen those laws. According to the committee, the Singham network routed money through shell companies and donor-advised funds in ways that obscured the original source of funding.
What the Right Is Saying
The House Ways and Means Committee rejected suggestions that its investigation infringes on First Amendment protections. In a cover letter accompanying the subpoenas, committee members stated the inquiry concerns BreakThrough News' "financing arrangements and organizational structure" — "not its speech, editorial positions, or political viewpoints."
Committee Republicans said they are investigating whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence in American civic organizations. The probe specifically targets how funds flowed through shell companies and donor-advised funds that obscured funding sources.
The committee is seeking internal communications, financial records, and documents relating to its investigation into the Singham-connected organizations.
According to previous reporting, organizations within the broader Singham network have regularly organized or participated in anti-ICE demonstrations, as well as protests critical of Israel and supportive of Iran.
What the Left Is Saying
BreakThrough News presenter Rania Khalek appeared on Democracy Now! with host Amy Goodman to argue the investigation represents an attack on journalism rather than a legitimate probe into financing. She called the subpoenas a "flagrant attack" on the First Amendment and compared the committee's actions to McCarthy-era tactics.
"They're attempting to criminalize dissent and an independent press because they're losing the argument," Khalek told Goodman during the interview.
Khalek argued Republicans were targeting BreakThrough News because of its political views, specifically pointing to coverage of Israel and ICE immigration enforcement. She said lawmakers were reviving McCarthy-era strategies because they could not win public debate on the issues.
"This smear that we're part of a 'foreign plot' is all they have left because they can't win on their merits," Khalek said. "That's what people need to understand this as."
Khalek encouraged viewers to financially support BreakThrough News as it fights the subpoenas and warned investigators could eventually target Democracy Now! itself.
What the Numbers Show
$39 million: The amount the House Ways and Means Committee says flowed through the Singham network to BreakThrough News, People's Forum Inc., and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.
$278 million: The minimum amount Singham directed into six core nonprofits within his broader international network of media organizations, activist groups, and think tanks, according to a Fox News Digital investigation.
$785 million: Estimated value of ThoughtWorks when Singham sold the company in 2017.
$1.1 million: Amount BreakThrough BT Media Inc. received from Singham, per documents cited by the committee.
$2.5 million: Amount Democracy Now! paid between 2019 and 2024 to ThoughtWorks for software development services. Democracy Now! is not a target of the committee investigation. Singham sold ThoughtWorks in 2017.
The Bottom Line
BreakThrough News now faces document production deadlines as it mounts both legal and public relations defenses against the congressional inquiry. The outlet has disputed the committee's characterization while declining to address specific questions about its finances or organizational structure on Democracy Now!.
The investigation is ongoing, with the committee expected to review documents from all three subpoenaed organizations. Lawmakers have indicated they may recommend legislative changes to strengthen nonprofit disclosure requirements if the probe reveals gaps in current law.
Democracy Now!'s historical payments to ThoughtWorks are not part of the committee's inquiry, though Khalek suggested similar scrutiny could extend to other progressive media outlets. The next significant development is expected when organizations respond to the subpoenas or appear before the committee.