The Trump administration is preparing a broad examination of several left-wing ‘nonprofit organisations’ that could ultimately threaten their tax-exempt status, according to a report by the New York Post.
The newspaper, citing three sources familiar with the matter, said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the Internal Revenue Service are scrutinising organisations including globalist George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused progressive nonprofit groups, particularly OSF, of financing political unrest and contributing to left-wing violence. The administration intensified its focus on such organisations following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last September.
Around that time, US media reported that the Department of Justice had encouraged prosecutors to examine whether potential offences connected with OSF could be pursued, reportedly including racketeering, wire fraud, arson and material support for terrorism. OSF rejected the allegations and described the scrutiny as “politically motivated attacks on civil society.”
According to the Post, the latest initiative draws partly on a 2025 Trump executive order addressing nonprofit organisations deemed to operate with a “substantial illegal purpose.” Treasury officials are reportedly preparing extensive audits aimed at determining whether targeted groups have improperly benefited from provisions of the US tax code.
The investigation is said to extend beyond prominent organisations such as OSF, encompassing anti-corporate campaign groups and organisations aligned with organised labour.
One source characterised Treasury officials as being “like a dog with a bone” in pursuing the matter and claimed some organisations and their financial backers were already “on borrowed time.”
“There’s a lot of internal pressure to get it done, but some people are still moving too slowly at the IRS,” the source told the Post, adding that this was “expected to change very soon.”
Any attempt to remove nonprofit tax exemptions is nevertheless likely to encounter substantial legal resistance. Sources cited by the newspaper warned that prolonged litigation could delay or derail parts of the administration’s campaign, particularly where authorities seek to establish connections between US organisations and designated foreign terrorist groups.
The reported tax crackdown follows additional measures against organisations operating outside the United States. Earlier this week, the administration designated three Europe-based organisations — Palestine Action, Masar Badil and Autistici/Inventati — as transnational terrorist entities, exposing them to US sanctions.
