Elon Musk, the African-born immigrant entrepreneur President Donald Trump authorized to rein in spending, vowed on Wednesday to end the federal government's "wasteful expenditure" of nearly $8.5 million last year on premium subscriptions to Politico, the Beltway news blog located many, many floors beneath the Washington Free Beacon.
"Not an efficient use of taxpayer funds," Musk wrote in response to an X user who revealed that the Food and Drug Administration has spent more than $500,000 on Politico Pro subscriptions for 37 employees. "This wasteful expenditure will be deleted."
Politico Pro is an allegedly premium service advertised as a "customizable policy intelligence platform to monitor policy developments, act on the news, and lead the conversation." It caters to corporate leaders and "policy professionals," including "consultants who rely on our customizable policy reporting and breaking news alerts and lobbyists who develop outreach strategies." Annual subscriptions typically cost between $12,000 and $15,000 and allow for up to three users. Politico also operates E&E News, a premium service focused on energy and the environment with "annual plans that start from the upper 4-figure range."
According to USASpending.gov, a government database that tracks federal expenditures, the U.S. government has spent $26 million on Politico subscriptions since 2021, including $8.4 million in 2024. Federal payments to the media outlet appear to have increased significantly after President Joe Biden took office. Government agencies spent $6.5 million on Politico subscriptions from 2017-2020, according to the database. Whether or not these federal payments influenced the outlet's coverage of the Biden administration has not yet been proven. Two former Politico reporters, Tara Palmeri and Marc Caputo, recently slammed their "cowardly editors" for spiking stories related to Hunter Biden's infamous laptop during the 2020 campaign.
In what may or may not have been a coincidence, Politico staff did not receive paychecks for the latest pay period on Tuesday, prompting management to send a series of company-wide emails blaming a "technical error." Employees were eventually paid Wednesday morning, which is when Musk started posting about the "wasteful" spending on Politico subscriptions. Fox News reports that some Politico staffers are feeling anxious about how Musk's efforts to reduce government waste could impact their financial stability. Many are still suffering from trauma after the Trump administration took away Politico's special cubbies at the Pentagon.
In addition to being a higher-quality publication located on a much, much higher floor, the Free Beacon does not accept subscription revenue from federal agencies funded by hardworking American taxpayers.
Read more: Weird Politico Reporter Offers 'Condolences for Working at the Free Beacon'