Was USAID funding Politico and other media outlets to spread propaganda? The claim, debunked

The current political climate in the United States is exhausting to keep up with, made all the more draining by the digital public square and its endless expressions of hatred, vocal shortsightedness, and rampant misinformation. By now, we all know how MAGA loves fabricating and spreading conspiracy theories, provided these abide by their biases and do not go against their idol.

Recently, one such theory made the rounds on social media, seeking this time to discredit both The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the news outlet POLITICO – which some people have someway, somehow, dubbed as being “far-left.”

After the outlet was unable to pay its staff due to a “technical error” that was resolved on the same day, conspiracy theorists started pushing the narrative that USAID – which has essentially been shut down by DOGE – had given POLITICO a whopping $8 million in funds. This surely meant the government was sponsoring the publication to act as a Democratic propaganda machine.

Are any of these claims and subsequent assumptions based on facts? While Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that “THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY!” it can hardly even be called a scandal. But who cares about details when a story fits perfectly into your political agenda?

Chicken Little: USAID version

To Donald Trump and his two administrations, conspiracy theories have served to rally support through outrage at disembodied facts that are put together like Frankenstein’s monster: In whichever manner best suits the MAGA leader and those within his political circle.

Before the President started openly promoting this conspiracy, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, having been “made aware of the funding from USAID to media outlets including POLITICO,” confirmed to reporters in a briefing that “the more than $8 million taxpayers 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.”

These misleading cries of “Wolf!” were echoed by the likes of Elon Musk, and Fox News producer Kyle Becker:

In reality, during the fiscal years of 2023 and 2024, the total amount of money POLITICO received from USAID was $44 thousand. Moreover, there was no nefarious or manipulative intent like these Right-wingers have argued. Many U.S. governmental agencies and organizations – led by both Democrats and Republicans – have used the paid Politico Pro service to access helpful data. On its website, Politco Pro promises to help government employees

“Stay ahead of the rapid transformation of personnel and policy across the West Wing, in the Cabinet, federal agencies and Congress […]. From executive orders and legislative action to regulatory overhauls and the transformation of government, our specialist reporting, data analysis, and expert briefings covering 22 policy areas empower public affairs professionals to anticipate and shape what comes next.”

As the reporter and X user Rachel Barnart pointed out, the government agencies were simply paying for a service that was useful to them, allowing staff to easily keep up with the recurrent fluctuations in an ever-developing political backdrop. Furthermore, POLITICO wasn’t the only media outlet and paywalled subscription service that was adopted for similar ends.

In light of the incendiary “debate on X,” POLITICO CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris had to issue a “Note to Our Readers.” Therein they reaffirm how, like most digital outlets, the publication “is supported by advertising and sponsorships,” not by “subsidies,” “grants,” or “handouts.” The only caveat they note is precisely how their “professional subscription service” has been used by government agencies, not to obtain favors but in order to access invaluable information “on the work of the agencies, regulators and policymakers throughout our vast federal government. Businesses and entities within the government find it useful as they navigate the chaotic regulatory and legislative landscape.”

To distill this pile of information to its essence: This non-scandal was never dealing with masked corruption. The thousands of dollars to POLITICO were paid in exchange for a service widely used by government workers to stay up to date on information that’s integral to their functions.