The Trump administration directed the General Services Administration (GSA), a critical agency that supports other government departments, to terminate all its media contracts following outrage over federal funds being allocated to news outlets, according to a report.
An email from a White House official to the GSA, which was obtained by Axios on Thursday, outlined the directive:
"GSA team, please do two things," the official wrote. "Pull all contracts for Politico, BBC, E&E (Politico sub) and Bloomberg.
"Pull all media contracts for just GSA – cancel every single media contract today for GSA only," according to the Axios report.
The GSA, an independent agency, is responsible for managing federal property and enhancing government operational efficiency, as stated on its website.
This action came after revelations by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) about significant federal spending on Politico Pro subscriptions. Politico Pro is known in Washington for real-time tracking of "policy, legislation and regulations with news, intelligence and a suite of data products," according to the company.
During a Wednesday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the administration would cease funding for these subscriptions, noting that the government had previously spent over $8 million on the service.
"The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now," Leavitt stated, emphasizing a comprehensive review of federal expenditures under this administration.
President Trump took to Truth Social to claim that the payments to Politico were akin to a "payoff" to encourage positive coverage of Democrats.
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) February 6, 2025
In response, Politico's CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Editor-in-Chief John Harris clarified in a letter to readers that Politico does not receive government subsidies. They described the payments as typical transactions for services akin to buying research or software. They also criticized the spread of misinformation, stating, "Some online voices are deliberately spreading falsehoods. Let's be clear: Politico has no financial dependence on the government and no hidden agenda. We cover politics and policy — that's our job."
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