On Thursday, President Donald Trump directed that the federal government discontinue all paid news subscriptions for personnel and agency offices throughout the executive branch.
According to an email acquired by Axios, the White House directed the General Services Administration to terminate “every single media contract” funded by the federal government.
In the email, a Trump administration official said, “Pull all contracts for Politico, BBC, E&E (Politico sub), and Bloomberg.” Pull all media contracts for GSA exclusively and cancel them all today.”
The GSA oversees procurement, technology, and real estate services for the federal government. The Trump administration’s recent decision comes just days after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency falsely claimed that Politico received millions in taxpayer subsidies. The funds revealed out to be years of payments to Politico Pro, a service that monitors legislation on Capitol Hill.
Supporters of the president swiftly flocked online to allege that the previous administration supported anti-Trump media, despite the fact that the payments to the news agency were openly acknowledged and had been a long-standing practice, involving both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. Following the anger, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the federal government would not fund Politico services.
“Politico is a privately-held firm. We have never received any government funding, including subsidies, grants, or handouts. Politico CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Politico Global Editor-In-Chief John Harris responded to the outcry by writing, “Not one dime, ever, in 18 years.” “Politico Pro is different. It is a professional subscription service utilized by businesses, organizations, and, yes, even certain government bodies.
