- Politico received over $9.5 million in federal funding over the last year and a half. The Department of Government Efficiency discovered the payments.
- The news outlet already received over $1.5 million in fiscal year 2025.
- AllSides, a media bias tracker, charts Politico as leaning left.
Full Story
The White House said it is cancelling payments to the news outlet Politico, which has received more than $9.5 million in funding from federal agencies over the past year and a half. The payments were discovered by the Department of Government Efficiency as it goes through the federal government’s expenditures.
“Essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayer’s dime will no longer be happening,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Where was the money coming from, and what was it for?
In total, Politico received $8.1 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2024 and has received $1.5 million so far in fiscal year 2025.
The funding has been provided by the Departments of Health and Human Services ($1.37 million), Interior ($1.35 million), Energy ($1.29 million), Agriculture ($552,024), Commerce ($485,572), and others.
The subscriptions appear to be for Politico Pro, which provides news and analysis for individuals and businesses that need to track legislation and regulations. It costs thousands of dollars per year.
“This is a whole-of-government effort to ensure that we are going line by line when it comes to the federal government’s books,” Leavitt said. “And this president and his team are making decisions across the board on, ‘Do these receipts serve the interests of the American people? Is this a good use of the American taxpayer’s money?’”
According to the AllSides media bias chart, Politico is a left-leaning outlet, in line with the New York Times, NPR and CNN.
What other outlets get federal funds?
Politico is not the only outlet that has received millions of dollars in government funding to pay for subscription fees. The New York Times received more than $350,000 per year since 2022 and millions dating back to 2008. The Associated Press has also received tens of millions for its news wire services.
