Two major agencies are moving to end employees’ taxpayer-funded subscriptions to Politico, a liberal news outlet, an agency spokesperson and a source familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) ended subscriptions to Politico Pro and E&E News — an environment- and energy-focused publication owned by Politico — last week after numerous reports surfaced indicating that millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on subscriptions to liberal media companies, a source familiar with the matter told the DCNF. The Department of Energy (DOE), meanwhile, is in the process of cancelling subscriptions to the same two entities, an agency spokesperson told the DCNF.
Additionally, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Tuesday that his agency also will not be renewing internal subscriptions to Politico and E&E News.
Federal spending data shows that DOI has spent more than $3 million on contracts with Politico, and DOE has spent about $4.2 million. For its part, Politico says that it has never received government subsidies and that its pricey paywalled products are sought out by many different types of people in Washington because it provides important information and news to people who need it to perform optimally in their own jobs.
Since 2015, Politico has raked in more than $35 million in obligated taxpayer funds in contracts, with some of those agreements stretching as far into the future as 2029, according to federal spending data. Combined, federal agencies spent a total of more than $8 million on Politico Pro subscriptions last year.
Politico Pro subscriptions can cost up to nearly $10,000 apiece, and Capitol Hill staffers of both political parties are said to frequently utilize it. Politico’s federal customers included the Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, and the Executive Office of the President, among others, according to spending data.
Other liberal-leaning media outlets that benefited from taxpayer-funded subscriptions include The New York Times and The Associated Press.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Photo/Jesse Collins/Wikimedia Commons)
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