Government Spending on Politico Mischaracterized in Conservative Attacks
Elon Musk and conservative politicians inaccurately claimed that government subsidies were funding Politico. However, it was revealed that USAID payments were merely for subscriptions, totaling $44,000 over two fiscal years.
Elon Musk and various elected officials made allegations suggesting that Politico was subsidized by the government. However, it has emerged that federal agencies were merely paying for subscriptions.
On Wednesday, a group comprising Musk, right-wing influencers, Republicans, and the White House targeted subscription payments from agencies like USAID directed towards Politico Pro and similar subscription services aimed at corporations and government bodies.
During a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that USAID had funded media outlets including Politico, but clarified that over $8 million previously used for subsidizing subscriptions would be discontinued.
However, records from USAspending.gov indicate that USAID's payments to Politico amounted to only $44,000 for fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Additionally, spending by federal agencies on subscriptions is not exclusive to Politico; other publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post also received payments.
In the previous year, Republicans and committee offices collectively spent over $300,000 on Politico subscriptions in just nine months, with significant contributions coming from various House committees.
Prior to the controversy, a contract worth $35,000 was signed for a Politico Pro Premium subscription by the White House's Office of the National Cyber Director.
The situation escalated when speculation on X arose after a report about Politico missing payroll. Allegations suggested a connection to potential funding cuts for USAID, which was dismissed by Politico's executives who clarified that the entire federal government spends over $16 million on their subscriptions, with no funds coming from USAID directly.
Despite the clarifications, conservative figures continued to propagate the misleading narrative regarding Politico's funding, leading to public outcry and calls for accountability.
In response to the ongoing misinformation, Politico's leadership issued a memo asserting that the outlet has never benefited from government programs or subsidies in its eighteen-year history, emphasizing that the majority of their subscriptions originate from the private sector.
