The Trump administration has ordered the State Department to terminate all non-essential news subscriptions to outlets such as the New York Times, AP, Reuters and Bloomberg News.
The move, which was first reported by the Washington Post, comes amid a broader effort to slash government expenditures.
A memo issued Feb. 11 instructed US embassies and consulates across Europe to cancel subscriptions deemed non-essential, citing budgetary concerns, according to the Washington Post.
On Feb. 14, a follow-up memo directed procurement teams to prioritize the cancellation of contracts with six major news organizations: The Economist, the Times, Politico, Bloomberg News, AP and Reuters.
The directive offered limited exceptions, stating that if embassies sought to retain a subscription, they could submit a justification but were restricted to “one sentence.”
Justifications were required to demonstrate that the subscription either improved national security, strengthened the country, or contributed to prosperity.
The Post has sought comment from the State Department and the six news outlets.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration ordered the General Services Administration (GSA) to terminate all media contracts, including subscriptions to Politico, BBC, E&E and Bloomberg.
The order, which was first reported by Axios, followed online backlash over revelations that government agencies had paid for Politico Pro subscriptions, leading to claims that the Biden administration was funding anti-Trump media.
Politico’s leadership refuted the conspiracy theories, clarifying that the company has never received government funding and that Politico Pro operates as a professional subscription service obtained through standard procurement processes.
AP has been criticized by the Trump administration for its continued use of “Gulf of Mexico” rather than the preferred term “Gulf of America.”
Since Feb. 12, AP reporters have been barred from White House events and restricted from traveling on Air Force One.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration evicted several left-leaning mainstream news organizations from their workspaces at the Pentagon in order to rotate in more friendly outlets.
CNN, The Washington Post, the Hill and War Zone were asked to leave their spaces, with Newsmax, the Washington Examiner, the Daily Caller and the Free Press moving in, according to a memo from John Ullyot, acting assistant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
This shift follows a similar policy announced the previous week, which ordered NBC News, the Times, NPR and Politico to vacate their spaces.
Their offices were being reassigned to One America News Network, The Post, Breitbart News and HuffPost.