President Trump on Thursday repeated an unfounded claim on Truth Social that billions of dollars had “been stolen at USAID, and other agencies” and given “to the fake news media” to write favorable stories about Democrats. He said Politico had received $8 million.
Trump’s claim mischaracterizes the federal government’s spending on subscriptions.
Data from USAspending.gov, a government website that tracks federal spending, shows government agencies collectively spent more than $8 million combined in payments for Politico subscriptions and products in 2024. This includes $24,000 spent by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, on subscriptions.
The subscriptions, which include Politico Pro or E&E News by Politico, offer paywalled content including policy tracking and exclusive reporting. Data show federal agencies also paid for subscriptions to other news outlets in 2024, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency was working to cancel all government subscriptions to Politico. Leavitt specifically criticized spending by USAID, the humanitarian aid agency that President Trump and Musk have targeted for funding cuts.
“I was made aware of the funding from USAID to media outlets, including Politico who has a seat in the room. I can confirm the more than $8 million taxpayer dollars have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the taxpayer’s dime will no longer be happening,” Leavitt said.
Data from USAspending.gov shows of the $8 million spent on payments for Politico products in 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Interior and Department of Energy each paid over $1 million in 2024. USAID paid $24,000 for Politico subscriptions in the 2024 fiscal year, up from $20,000 the previous year.
In a letter to staff on Wednesday, Politico’s editor-in-chief John Harris said, “POLITICO has never been a beneficiary of government programs or subsidies — not one cent, ever, in 18 years.” Harris also wrote that “the overwhelming majority” of Politico Pro subscriptions come from the private sector.
Additionally, congressional records show both Republicans and Democrats and the committees they lead paid for Politico subscriptions in the last year.
The office of Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who accused Politico of “grift” on social media Wednesday, paid more than $7,000 to Politico LLC for “publications and reference material” according to the House Statement of Disbursement for the first quarter of 2024.
The same records show the Office of the Speaker of the House paid over $9,000 and the Republican-led House Committee on Energy and Finance paid over $58,000 to Politico LLC that quarter.
CBS News has reached out to Rep. Boebert and Speaker Johnson’s office for comment.
The New York Times also responded to what it called “inaccurate information about ‘federal funding'” of the paper Thursday, noting that “various parts of the federal government” have purchased subscriptions under both Democratic and Republican administrations, including the first Trump administration. The company said federal subscriptions make up “less than 1/1000th” of its revenue.
Musk and the White House have criticized spending by USAID as wasteful as the administration works to merge the agency into the State Department with cuts to its funding and workforce, halting aid it supported around the world.
In fiscal year 2023, USAID managed more than $40 billion in appropriations, or less than 1% of the federal budget, according to the Congressional Research Service. Much of that funding went to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, as well as disaster relief, humanitarian and health programs across the globe.
Former agency officials have criticized the Trump administration for jeopardizing humanitarian work done by the agency in over 100 countries worldwide.
