Did Reuters and Politico receive government funding during the Biden administration but not the Trump administration? No, that's not true: Thomson Reuters, a separate company from Reuters News, and Politico both received federal payments under both administrations. Thomson Reuters provided "software and information services to U.S. government agencies," while Politico sold subscription services to government offices.
The implied claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on February 13, 2025. The post's caption said:
Both of these outlets relentlessly attacked my gubernatorial campaign in 2022. No wonder. Paid and bought for by Biden Administration This is un-American as it gets. They need to be sued and return the $
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Fri Feb 14 16:15:17 2025 UTC)
The post on Facebook includes a screenshot of two posts published by President Donald Trump to his Truth Social account on February 13, 2025. You can find the original posts here (archived here) and here (archived here).
None of the posts provide any evidence to support the implied assertion that Reuters and Politico got government funding during the Biden administration but not the Trump administration.
Thomson Reuters Special Services
USAspending.gov, a website that tracks government payouts and who the money goes to, shows the U.S. government sent funding to Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), not Reuters News. Lead Stories wrote about it in a February 13, 2025, story: Fact Check: U.S. Government Did NOT Pay Reuters For 'Large Scale Social Deception.'
A screenshot of the page (archived here) from the official government website shows the contract start date is September 28, 2018, during the first Trump administration, which began in January 2017, and the contract's end date was November 29, 2022, during the Biden administration. The image with the payout dates surrounded in red appears below:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Fri Feb 14 20:05:59 2025 UTC)
In a February 13, 2025, email to Lead Stories, Thomson Reuters media relations shared a statement from Steve Rubley, CEO of TRSS, emphasizing that TRSS and Reuters News operate separately:
Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), LLC is a separate U.S. legal entity governed by an independent Board of Directors, that operates independently from Reuters News. Recent public discourse has conflated these entities and has inaccurately represented the nature of the business between TRSS and the Department of Defense.
TRSS has provided software and information services to U.S. government agencies across successive administrations for decades, to assist in identifying and preventing fraud, supporting public safety, and advancing justice.
Reuters News is the leading global provider of business, financial and world news in keeping with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles which govern its newsroom. Thomson Reuters commercial agreements, including Reuters News commercial agreements, have no influence over or impact on Reuters editorial coverage.
Politico
The U.S. government first began purchasing subscriptions from the political website during the Obama administration, USAspending.gov showed. Here's the value of Politico subscriptions for each White House (numbers rounded):
- Obama administration from January 2009 - January 2017: $1.9 million
- Trump administration from January 2017 - January 2021: $8 million
- Biden administration from January 2021 - January 2025: $31 million
The social media debate over whether government funds were going to Politico started in early February 2025 with claims the money was being used to gain political influence. In a message (archived here) to readers on February 6, 2025, Politico's CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Editor-in-Chief John F. Harris said:
POLITICO has been the subject of debate on [social media] this week. Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false. Let's set the record straight.
POLITICO is a privately owned company. We have never received any government funding -- no subsidies, no grants, no handouts. Not one dime, ever, in 18 years. ...
Millions of people around the world read our journalism on POLITICO.com, POLITICO.EU and in newsletters. It is supported by advertising and sponsorships.
POLITICO Pro is different. It is a professional subscription service used by companies, organizations, and, yes, some government agencies. They subscribe because it makes them better at their jobs -- helping them track policy, legislation and regulations in real-time with news, intelligence and a suite of data products. At its core, POLITICO Pro is about transparency and accountability: Shining a light 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. It's that simple. ...
Government agencies that subscribe do so through standard public procurement processes -- just like any other tool they buy to work smarter and be more efficient. This is not funding. It is a transaction -- just as the government buys research, equipment, software and industry reports. 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.
Read more
More Lead Stories fact checks on claims concerning Donald Trump can be found here.
Other Lead Stories fact checks on claims about politics are here.
