- President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. government to cancel all paid subscriptions to news outlets, including Politico, BBC and Bloomberg. The move follows revelations of millions of taxpayer dollars spent on media subscriptions.
- News outlets such as Politico, The New York Times and The Associated Press responded, with Politico saying that the government does not fund its subscription services.
- The Trump administration has also changed Pentagon media access, implementing a rotation program to include nontraditional outlets like One America News and Breitbart.
Full Story
President Donald Trump directed the U.S. government to cease all paid subscriptions to news outlets. A memo, obtained by Axios, instructed the General Services Administration to terminate contracts with Politico, BBC and Bloomberg.
“Cancel every single media contract,” the memo stated.
Confirmed subscription cancellations
The White House has already canceled some contracts. DOGE posted on X that the U.S. Treasury confirmed the cancellation of its contracts with The New York Times.
Treasury leadership verified that their NYT contracts were cancelled today. https://t.co/cd3STUgrzF
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 6, 2025
Trump reacts to government spending on news subscriptions
The White House’s order follows a recent report revealing that millions of dollars were spent on subscriptions to news outlets like Politico, The New York Times, and The Associated Press.
Trump commented on Truth Social, calling the situation “perhaps the biggest scandal of them all, perhaps the biggest in history!”
News outlets respond
Politico, a left-leaning news outlet, received over $9.5 million in federal spending over the past year and a half.
In a note to readers, Politico’s CEO and editor-in-chief stated, “Politico is a privately owned company. We have never received any government funding — no subsidies, no grants, no handouts. Politico Pro is different. It is a professional subscription service used by companies, organizations, and, yes, some government agencies. This is not funding. It is a transaction.”
The New York Times, also left-leaning, earned nearly $2 million last year through government subscriptions.
In a statement, the Times said, “These officials and other public servants are simply seeking to better understand the world through our independent journalism, like millions of other Americans.”
The Associated Press, another left-leaning outlet, received tens of millions of dollars for its news wire services.
The AP explained, “It’s quite common for governments to have contracts with news organizations for their content.”
Other Trump directives involving media outlets
The Trump administration has also issued other directives impacting mainstream news outlets. This includes an order requiring NBC News, The New York Times, NPR and Politico to vacate their Pentagon workspaces in favor of a new rotation program.
The program is designed to give nontraditional outlets access to Pentagon media spaces.
The first outlets included in the new rotation are right-leaning outlets such as One America News, Breitbart and the New York Post, followed by HuffPost, a left-leaning news outlet.
Changes in the White House press room
The White House press room also underwent changes, with new types of journalists now included.
This week, Sage Steele, a former ESPN host turned independent podcaster, was the first to take the newly created “New Media Seat,” designated for podcast hosts and social media influencers.
