US Lawmaker Claims India's New Foreign Fund Bill Attacks Christians, Warns of Damaged Ties

American politician Riley Moore, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives, has sparked a major discussion after criticizing India's proposed foreign donation law. In a social media post, Moore called the new Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 a "clear attack against Christians" and warned that passing the law could spoil diplomatic relations between the United States and India. Pointing out that Christian communities have lived peacefully in India since the time of St. Thomas the Apostle, the US lawmaker alleged that the draft law would allow the Indian government to take over churches, schools, and religious charities.

The controversy centers around new rules introduced in Parliament to regulate how non-governmental organizations, social trusts, and religious groups handle money received from foreign donors. The proposed bill creates a official government authority to manage buildings, lands, and money owned by organizations if their foreign funding licenses are cancelled, expired, or voluntarily given up. Opposition parties, civil society groups, and charity networks have raised concerns that these powers could lead to unnecessary official interference in private schools, hospitals, and welfare centers built using overseas grants.

The proposed law applies equally to all organizations across India regardless of their religion, sector, or community. The bill explicitly mandates that if any foreign-funded asset is a place of worship, the appointed government officer must strictly protect its religious character. Government officials have defended the amendments, stating that stricter rules are necessary to bring complete transparency, prevent financial misuse, and stop unregulated foreign money from flowing into illegal or unauthorized activities.