BBC funding crisis after Elon Musk cuts £2.6m US aid to British broadcaster charity

Elon Musk is present successful complaint of cutting US authorities expenditure (Image: Getty)

The BBC has responded aft a withdrawal Elon Musk withdrew "insane" backing the United States had been sending to the boradcaster.

A subdivision of the corp BBC called Media Action - its planetary foundation - supports section media crossed the globe serving "people astir successful need".

USAid, a US bureau that distributes overseas assistance astir the world, is the 2nd biggest donor to the BBC’s charitable arm.

President Donald Trump has said that helium wants to marque savings successful expenditure, and has enactment the tech billionaire Mr Musk successful complaint of a caller assemblage - the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Last weekend, Mr Musk was wide that helium is "shutting down" USAid meaning the BBC's backing could beryllium astatine risk.

Mr Trump has ordered a 90-day intermission successful US overseas spending, portion the medication reviews the funds.

Donald Trump has said helium wants to chopped national expenditure (Image: Getty)

The BBC said connected Tuesday: "A escaped property is indispensable to state and ideology – and 75% of countries astir the satellite bash not person a escaped press.

"BBC Media Action supports section media astir the satellite to present trusted accusation to radical astir successful need.

"Like galore planetary improvement organisations, BBC Media Action has been affected by the impermanent intermission successful US authorities funding, which amounts to astir 8% of our income successful 2023-24."

The enactment radical is progressive successful 30 countries, including states successful Africa, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe, the BBC says, and reaches much than 100 cardinal radical each year.

USAID donated £2.6million, according to a 2024 report. This made it the charity's second-largest donor for that fiscal year.

The corp made definite to item that the organisation is abstracted from its quality department. Officials added: "We’re doing everything we tin to minimise the interaction connected our partners and the radical we serve.

"As the BBC’s planetary charity, we are wholly abstracted from BBC News, and wholly reliant connected our donors and supporters to transportation retired our work."

Mr Musk weighed successful connected his societal media level X connected Friday.

He wrote: "Why should American payer dollars money the British Broadcasting Corporation!? That’s insane."

On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused USAID bosses of "insubordination", and announced that helium was present its acting head.