The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday dismissed remarks by US Congressman Riley Moore regarding the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. It stated that legislative issues are India’s internal affairs and noted that many nations, including the United States, maintain rules on foreign funding.
Moore, a Republican from West Virginia, had claimed days earlier that the amendments represented an attack on Christians and could harm India-US ties.
In response to media questions, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India follows a democratic process for making laws and that domestic rules must be understood in context. He noted that countries worldwide, including the US, control foreign contributions to groups through their legal systems.
Moore had stated on August 4 that the changes might allow the government to assume control of churches and religious charities if their FCRA registration ended. He said this would mainly impact Christian groups and called on India to review the bill.
The proposed amendments would update the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, which regulates foreign donations to individuals, associations and NGOs. The law aims to prevent foreign funds from harming national sovereignty, security or democratic bodies.
Under the bill, if an organisation loses FCRA registration, a designated authority could temporarily handle its foreign contributions and assets. For places of worship, the authority must maintain their religious character.
The government says the changes aim to ensure transparency and proper management of foreign-funded groups that no longer qualify for overseas donations. The MEA response is India’s first official reply to the criticism, stressing that lawmaking is a domestic matter.
