Rep. Brandon Gill’s newly launched House task force is preparing to take aim at nonprofits, NGOs, and other organizations that receive taxpayer funds while allegedly engaging in fraud, political activism, or activities that lawmakers believe run counter to American interests.
The Texas Republican will chair the House Oversight Committee’s new Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, a six-month initiative focused on investigating government waste, alleged misuse of public funds, illegal DEI practices, and foreign influence operations conducted through nonprofit organizations.
Gill says the mission is straightforward: if organizations are receiving taxpayer dollars, they should be accountable for how that money is used.
“You do not have the right to run an organization that takes tax dollars that engages in illegal activity or engages in domestic unrest or engages oftentimes in political activity,” Gill told Just the News. “Whether it’s nonprofits or other sorts of entities that are taking government money.”
The freshman congressman was tapped to lead the panel by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who has made government accountability a major focus of Republican oversight efforts.
According to Gill, Congress has an obligation to determine whether taxpayer funds are being directed toward organizations that are violating the law or pursuing political agendas under the cover of charitable status.
“We have to ask ourselves as elected representatives if it makes sense to take your hard-earned tax money and put it in the pockets of NGOs or other entities that are working against you and against American interests,” Gill said. “The answer is obviously no.”
The task force moved quickly after its formation. One of its first actions was joining Comer in requesting records related to alleged fraud in Ohio’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver program. Recent reports have suggested improper billing practices may have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions—or potentially more than $1 billion.
Gill argues that while fraud exists everywhere, states willing to investigate and expose it deserve credit regardless of political affiliation.
“Most Republicans would agree with me that if there is fraud in a red state, we want to go after that just as aggressively as we would in a blue state,” he said.
Still, Gill contends that some of the most significant cases have emerged in Democratic-controlled states.
He specifically pointed to Minnesota, where multiple high-profile fraud scandals have generated national headlines. Federal prosecutors have estimated that fraud involving social service programs—including Medicaid, child care assistance, housing programs, and pandemic-era food initiatives—may total billions of dollars.
The most famous case involved the Feeding Our Future scandal, a scheme that prosecutors say fraudulently diverted approximately $250 million intended for child nutrition programs during the pandemic. Several individuals have already been convicted, and investigations remain ongoing.
Gill argued that elected officials in Minnesota failed to provide adequate oversight.
“Those are the areas where we have found… that elected representatives kind of made a deal with fraudsters,” he said, alleging that officials ignored warning signs while public money was being misused.
Democrats have strongly disputed such characterizations, arguing that state agencies cooperated with investigations and that law enforcement ultimately uncovered and prosecuted those responsible.
Beyond domestic fraud, the task force also plans to investigate allegations of foreign influence conducted through nonprofit organizations.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, pointed to concerns about foreign funding flowing into activist groups operating in the United States. She specifically highlighted scrutiny involving Code Pink and broader investigations into whether foreign governments have indirectly funded political activism on American soil.
“We saw those college campus protests that were anti-Semitic being fueled by foreign money,” Malliotakis said, adding that some findings have been referred to the IRS for review.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to appear before Congress in the coming weeks, where lawmakers intend to examine whether organizations receiving tax-exempt status are operating in ways consistent with federal law.
Joining Gill on the task force are several prominent conservative lawmakers, including Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida, Michael Cloud of Texas, and Brian Jack of Georgia.
