Debate flares in US over government funding of media organizations

WASHINGTON

A debate over media organizations receiving government funding has intensified after tech billionaire and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk criticized certain outlets for allegedly receiving payments from federal institutions.

Musk, appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee government efficiency, took to X to comment on federal budget spending, claiming that the administration of former President Joe Biden had provided funding to select media organizations.

Musk specifically pointed to payments made through agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Musk shared a post showing Politico had received $8.1 million from USAID and in another post he said: "Not an efficient use of taxpayer funds. This wasteful expenditure will be deleted."

During her press conference, when asked about the payment to media outlets, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she was just made aware of the funding from USAID to media outlets, including Politico.

"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. The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now," she said.

Musk also reacted to reports of payments to The Associated Press, saying: "Not for long. This is obviously a huge waste of taxpayer money!" He also took aim at The New York Times, saying, "NYT is government-funded media."

According to USA Spending, an official government website tracking federal expenditures, other major American media organizations, including Bloomberg, have also received payments from different federal institutions.

While specific details of the payments remain undisclosed, records indicate that the transactions fall under various budget categories within different agencies.

USAID has provided funding to a diverse array of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including media organizations, to advance its mission of promoting global development and humanitarian assistance.