Report: State Department Orders Cancellation of ‘Non-Mission Critical’ News Subscriptions

The State Department has ordered the cancellation of all news subscriptions that are “non-mission critical,” according to an internal email obtained by the Washington Post. 

The move follows the discovery that the government paid millions in taxpayer dollars to left-leaning Politico for media subscriptions, and aligns with President Donald Trump’s mission to streamline wasteful government spending. 

The February 11 memo obtained by the Post states that the order is an effort to reduce spending and reads in part: “Considering this priority, posts are asked to immediately place Stop Work Orders on all non-mission critical contracts/purchase orders for media subscriptions (publications, periodicals, and newspaper subscriptions) that are not academic or professional journals.”

The order reportedly applies to hundreds of U.S. embassies and consulates globally, a State Department official anonymously told the publication. The official said embassy security teams count on news coverage to prep for diplomatic travel in conflict zones.

Ultimately, State Department personnel were told they are allowed to submit a request to keep a news subscription as long as it is “done within 1 sentence,” according to the report. 

“The guidance laid out possible justifications — if the subscription affects the safety of U.S. personnel or facilities, or if it is required by treaty or law,” the report continues, “or if it yields an affirmative answer to one of the following questions: ‘Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’”

A subsequent February 14 memo obtained by the publication directed the termination of contracts with six news organizations specifically: The Economist, The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, the Associated Press, and Reuters — all left-leaning media companies.

Other departments, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said they plan to cancel subscriptions to Politico, according to the report. General Services Administration employees were also told to “cancel every single media contract,” Axios reported.

This week, the White House said it indefinitely barred the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One because it weaponizes language through its style guide decisions, but AP has not lost its credentials to the White House complex. AP notably is refusing to refer to the Gulf of America by its new official name, despite having previously changed its style guide to conform to the renaming of other geographical locations and ethnicities around the world.

“This isn’t just about the Gulf of America,” White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich told Axios on Monday. “This is about AP weaponizing language through their stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world.”