'Bezos spent $75 mn on Melania movie, $500 mn on yacht': Bernie Sanders blasts Washington Post layoffs
The Washington Post announced large-scale cuts on Wednesday, eliminating jobs across the newsroom and other departments
- Feb 5, 2026,
- Updated Feb 5, 2026 12:51 PM IST
US Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday criticised sweeping layoffs at The Washington Post, questioning the financial justification for cutting jobs at a time when owner Jeff Bezos has made large personal expenditures.
Reacting to the news that the Post has fired one-third of its staff, Sanders said, "If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff."
The Washington Post announced large-scale cuts on Wednesday, eliminating jobs across the newsroom and other departments. The changes include shutting down the paper's books department, eliminating its sports department, restructuring its Washington-area news and editing teams, and suspending its Post Reports podcast.
Executive editor Matt Murray informed staff of the cuts during a Zoom meeting, telling employees they would receive emails indicating whether their roles had been eliminated. A Post spokesperson confirmed that roughly one-third of the workforce would be affected, without disclosing the total number of employees.
The layoffs mark a major moment for the newspaper, long regarded as one of journalism's most influential institutions, known for its Watergate reporting.
In a statement shared later on X, Murray said, "As we shared in our live stream earlier, the company is taking actions today to place The Washington Post on a stronger footing and better position us in this rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits."
He added, "These moves include substantial newsroom reductions impacting nearly all news departments."
Explaining the rationale, Murray said, "The need has never been more urgent to reposition The Post. A more flexible, sustainable model will help us better navigate unprecedented volatility, competition, technological change, news-consumption habits, and cost pressure."
He acknowledged ongoing financial stress at the organisation, saying, "As you know, we have grappled with financial challenges for some time. They have affected us in multiple rounds of cost cuts and buyouts, along with periodic constraints on other kinds of spending."
US Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday criticised sweeping layoffs at The Washington Post, questioning the financial justification for cutting jobs at a time when owner Jeff Bezos has made large personal expenditures.
Reacting to the news that the Post has fired one-third of its staff, Sanders said, "If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff."
The Washington Post announced large-scale cuts on Wednesday, eliminating jobs across the newsroom and other departments. The changes include shutting down the paper's books department, eliminating its sports department, restructuring its Washington-area news and editing teams, and suspending its Post Reports podcast.
Executive editor Matt Murray informed staff of the cuts during a Zoom meeting, telling employees they would receive emails indicating whether their roles had been eliminated. A Post spokesperson confirmed that roughly one-third of the workforce would be affected, without disclosing the total number of employees.
The layoffs mark a major moment for the newspaper, long regarded as one of journalism's most influential institutions, known for its Watergate reporting.
In a statement shared later on X, Murray said, "As we shared in our live stream earlier, the company is taking actions today to place The Washington Post on a stronger footing and better position us in this rapidly changing era of new technologies and evolving user habits."
He added, "These moves include substantial newsroom reductions impacting nearly all news departments."
Explaining the rationale, Murray said, "The need has never been more urgent to reposition The Post. A more flexible, sustainable model will help us better navigate unprecedented volatility, competition, technological change, news-consumption habits, and cost pressure."
He acknowledged ongoing financial stress at the organisation, saying, "As you know, we have grappled with financial challenges for some time. They have affected us in multiple rounds of cost cuts and buyouts, along with periodic constraints on other kinds of spending."