Spending records from USASpending.gov reveal that Reuters News & Media has received over $1.2 billion in federal contracts since 2008, drawing attention to the media giant’s financial ties to multiple government agencies. The contracts, awarded by the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and other federal offices, have raised questions about the influence of government money on journalism.
Thomson Reuters Special Services LLC, an affiliated entity, has also collected $120 million in federal contracts since 2010. One contract with the Department of Defense has gained significant attention for language that referenced “large scale social deception” and “social engineering,” sparking outrage over the nature of the work being funded by taxpayer dollars.
BREAKING:
Reuters received millions from the US government for orchestrating "large-scale social deception"#USAID #News pic.twitter.com/IS19vMtKxh
— Stand Tall n Roar (@standtallnroar) February 13, 2025
The controversy escalated after Elon Musk amplified the issue on social media, questioning why a media-connected organization was receiving payments linked to activities that did not appear to align with journalistic work. His comments came after Reuters published an article targeting the Department of Government Efficiency, leading to further speculation about conflicts of interest.
USAID Tax Dollars subsidized mainstream news outlets in America:
•POLITICO: $34.3M
•NY TIMES: $50M
•ASSOCIATED PRESS: $19.5M
•REUTERS: $9M
•$220,000 from the Department of State just last year.
•BBC: British Government TV received $3.3MAnother "conspiracy theory"… pic.twitter.com/rbecox45cH
— DonaldTrump1_ (@tyranny_stop) February 8, 2025
Meanwhile, USAID has come under fire for directing taxpayer money to highly questionable initiatives. Records show the agency funded a transgender opera in Colombia, DEI workplace training in Serbia, and even a $70,000 musical promoting gender activism in Ireland. Further reports indicate U.S. taxpayer dollars were spent on irrigation and fertilizer for Afghan poppy fields, helping fuel heroin production controlled by the Taliban.
USAID paid Reuters for "Large Scale Social Deception" and "Social Engineering Defence" between 2018 and 2022. DOGE just published the invoice from Reuter. Just sayin' … pic.twitter.com/vpEyAJc3gv
— AINIRO (@AIniroTeam) February 13, 2025
These revelations have intensified calls for greater oversight of federal spending. Republican lawmakers have called for investigations into whether taxpayer-funded media contracts create conflicts of interest.
As President Trump pushes forward with his agenda to cut wasteful spending, questions about government contracts with media organizations will remain a pressing issue.
