House subpoena of BreakThrough News threatens press freedom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, July 23, 2026 — In a direct attack on the First Amendment, the House Ways and Means Committee has subpoenaed independent news outlet BreakThrough News , demanding internal records under the guise of investigating foreign influence in the tax-exempt nonprofit sector. The committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Smith, is seeking BreakThrough News’ financial records, internal communications, and more. Lawmakers claim the probe focuses on tax compliance. But abusing congressional subpoena power to target a news outlet whose coverage a committee chair doesn’t like undermines core press freedom guarantees. The following can be attributed to Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern: “Congress shouldn’t be using a tax investigation as a pretext…