“LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN [stolen] AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS,” the president wrote to Fact Social on Thursday morning. “THE LEFT WING ‘RAG,’ KNOWN AS ‘POLITICO,’ SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000. Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN’T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY!”
In fact, none of what Trump stated is true. The funds he and different Republicans are referring to largely characterize the cash the whole federal authorities spent on Politico Professional subscriptions, totaling $8.2 million between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025, based on USAspending.gov, a government-run supply for federal expenditure knowledge.
Moreover, solely a tiny fraction of that spending on subscriptions got here from USAID: $44,000 throughout the fiscal years 2023 and 2024. That’s negligible in contrast with what different companies spent. The most important spenders had been the Division of Well being and Human Providers ($1.37 million), the Division of the Inside ($1.35 million), and the Division of Vitality ($1.29 million).
Nevertheless it’s not simply federal companies that pay for Politico—Republican lawmakers additionally do.
The Washington Publish found that 38 Home Republicans spent greater than $300,000 on Politico subscriptions within the first three quarters of 2024, whereas GOP-led committees devoted about $500,000 to Politico subscriptions throughout the identical timeframe.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, left, screams “Build the Wall” at then-President Joe Biden throughout his first State of the Union handle, on March 1, 2022.
Even the workplace of Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who just lately criticized Politico on social media, subscribes, based on a reporter for Purpose journal, who cited a disbursements report from the Home.
Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped right-wing conspiracy theorists from falsely claiming that Politico is funded solely by USAID and is “state-sponsored media.” Simply on Wednesday, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced throughout a press convention that the federal authorities would cancel their subscriptions to Politico Professional.
“I can confirm that the more than eight million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer’s dime will no longer be happening,” Leavitt stated. “The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now.”
Unsurprisingly, the chief of DOGE, billionaire Elon Musk, additionally provided his two cents on social media, saying that the cash spent on Politico subscriptions was “not an efficient use of taxpayer funds.”
“This wasteful expenditure will be deleted,” he stated.
The suitable’s Politico conspiracy is laughable and despicable, particularly provided that the federal government spends trillions yearly. The truth that Trump’s administration is hellbent on slashing federal companies’ comparatively small media budgets speaks volumes about how significantly Republicans will goal the press over the subsequent 4 years.
Politico isn’t the one media group the federal authorities has spent cash on, both. Information present the federal government has additionally made funds to the Related Press, Reuters, Axios, and The New York Occasions, amongst others. However as a result of Politico gives sure paywalled merchandise which might be costlier than its friends’ merchandise, it’s catching hearth.
In a memo to employees, Politico’s leaders, Goli Sheikholeslami and John Harris, denied that the outlet was ever “a beneficiary of government programs or subsidies” within the 18 years of its existence.
“[N]ot one cent, ever,” they stated.
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