Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, on Thursday brushed aside potential legal action from Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla.
“It’s symptomatic of our times that billionaires — and now [a] trillionaire — can threaten to sue members of Congress for doing their job. He won’t intimidate me. I’m not going to be intimidated by the guy. I’m not going to be silenced by the guy,” Khanna stated.
The Dispute Over International Aid Reductions
Khanna's remarks come after an online exchange with Musk regarding whether reductions to government aid programs overseas, initiatives spearheaded by Musk in the initial period of a prior presidential administration, had resulted in deaths.
Khanna, a prominent progressive and a potential presidential candidate for 2028, specifically criticized Musk’s efforts to reduce funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“There needs to be accountability for Elon Musk. You know, they’re celebrating that he created 4,400 millionaires, but they don’t talk about the 4.5 million children around the world who he possibly sentenced to death by dismantling USAID,” Khanna said during a recent podcast appearance, referencing a study from the Lancet Group, a medical journal.
This assertion provoked a strong reaction from Musk, who had personally overseen efforts to eliminate what he deemed waste, fraud, and abuse within U.S. programs.
“Time to sue this liar,” Musk posted on X.
In a separate message, Musk added, “Robber Khanna should be in prison.”
Rationale for Cuts and Counterarguments
Musk, reflecting a common conservative viewpoint skeptical of government spending, criticized USAID for approving millions in expenditures that, in his opinion, lacked sufficient justification. He cited examples such as funding for