Veterans affairs secretary says department discovered high-priced contract with Politico — and canceled it

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said his team found and canceled a high-priced contract with a news outlet.

Secretary Doug Collins announced the cancellation on social media after controversy exploded over high-priced subscriptions to Politico purchased by numerous government departments.

'That money can be better spent on Veterans health care!'

"Ran across a $178,000 contract VA had with Politico and we promptly canceled it. That money can be better spent on Veterans health care!" wrote Collins on Monday.

Politico was among some of the news outlets identified as receiving money from the federal government, but the money was discovered to be tied to trade subscriptions for professionals working with the government. Many believed that Politico being unable to pay employees was related to the shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development, but the outlet said its payment portal had suffered from a glitch and was later corrected.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the controversy on Wednesday and said that the Department of Government Efficiency would work to shut down all the payments to Politico.

"I can confirm that the more than $8 million taxpayer that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico on the American taxpayers' dime will no longer be happening," she said. "The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now."

On Thursday, Politico released a statement denying many of the accusations of misconduct and explaining the distinction between its journalism and its pro subscription service.

"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," read its statement in part.

"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," they continued. "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."

The budget for the VA was $369.3 billion, according to the request for 2025 funding.

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