4 things to know about USAID’s funding of media outlets
3. US gov’t paid $8.2M for premium Politico subscriptions for federal employees
Despite widespread media reports of USAID funding the political news site Politico, only $24,000 spent on Politico came from USAID, according to Axios.
However, the entire government paid $8.2 million to Politico, LLC, which is likely to cover the cost of premium subscription products like Politico Pro, which can cost thousands per year and delve deeper into policy, the report found.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday those subscriptions will be canceled.
"I was made aware of the funding of USAID to media outlets, including Politico. … And I can confirm that the more than $8 million taxpayer dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayers' dime will no longer be happening," said Leavitt. "The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now."
Congressional records show that members of U.S. Congress from both parties and the committees they led paid tens of thousands for Politico subscriptions in the last year, according to CBS News.
In October 2021, German publishing and media firm Axel Springer SE acquired Politico for over $1 billion.
