On April 8, 2025, Americans for Public Trust Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland testified before the Montana Senate Judiciary Committee in support of House Bill 818, a bill to ban foreign money in ballot initiatives. In her testimony, Sutherland highlighted the almost $3.3 million in foreign-backed cash spent in Montana by the Sixteen Thirty Fund to influence state ballot campaigns on issues like marijuana, abortion, and election policy. She noted that Swiss Billionaire Hansjörg Wyss has given almost $280 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has spent almost $130 million on state ballot issue campaigns, including the $3.3 million in Montana.
Read excerpts from Caitlin’s testimony below:
On the Sixteen Thirty Fund spending on ballot initiatives…
“As you’ve heard, there is a foreign-funded group based in Washington, D.C. called the Sixteen Thirty Fund, and they are actively bankrolling ballot measure campaigns across the country. APT has been able to trace that the Sixteen Thirty Fund has received almost $280 million from a foreign national and has turned around and poured $130 million into ballot issue campaigns in 26 states, including Montana.”
On Sixteen Thirty Fund spending in Montana…
“Sixteen Thirty Fund has spent almost $3.3 million in foreign-backed cash bankrolling Montana ballot issue campaigns, influencing your state on issues like marijuana, abortion, and election policy. An Axios analysis last year found that ‘Democrat-aligned groups [were] working to put a state constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on Montana’s ballot next year, a move that would boost embattled Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s re-election bid.’ These important policy decisions should be left to U.S. citizens, and foreign money has no place in Montana.”
On Hansjörg Wyss and his goals…
“While there is nothing stopping China or Qatar from taking advantage of this loophole, the foreign money funneled through the Sixteen Thirty Fund mostly flows from a Swiss billionaire named Hansjörg Wyss. Mr. Wyss is not a U.S. citizen, but his goal is to ‘(re)interpret the American Constitution in the light of progressive politics.’ Mr. Wyss has even bragged ‘that he could exert an influence’ on American politics. Montana should act quickly to close this foreign influence loophole before Mr. Wyss, or other foreign actors, work to ‘exert an influence’ in your state.”
