- Elon Musk and Congressman Ro Khanna clashed over alleged child deaths linked to USAID cuts
- Khanna cited a Lancet study tying Musk's Department of Government Efficiency cuts to millions of deaths
- Musk denied allegations, threatened to sue Khanna, and labeled him "Ro the Robber"
A bitter social media war erupted Monday between Elon Musk and Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna after the California Democrat said the tech billionaire "needs to answer" for the deaths of millions of children linked to his Department of Government Efficiency cuts.
How It All Started
Speaking on the "I've Had It" podcast over the weekend, Khanna said people celebrate Musk for creating 4,400 millionaires but ignore the 4.5 million children worldwide he "possibly sentenced to death" by dismantling USAID, citing a peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet in July 2025 that estimated proposed cuts to USAID could lead to as many as 14 million preventable deaths worldwide by 2030, including 4.5 million children under the age of five.
He added that Musk "needs to be subpoenaed" and investigated once Democrats regain power in Congress.
Musk Hits Back Hard
Musk responded by sharing a New York Post article on Khanna's remarks, writing simply, "Time to sue this liar."
Time to sue this liar
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2026
Responding directly to another user who said DOGE did not kill millions of children, Musk wrote, "Absolutely. This is a total lie," explaining that DOGE's only requirement was contact information from aid recipients to confirm funds weren't fraudulent, and linking to a Justice Department release noting that a USAID official and several executives had pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme involving more than $550 million in contracts.
Absolutely. This is a total lie.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2026
All DOGE did was require contact with the aid recipients to confirm that funds were being used legitimately. Anything less than this is insane!
Multiple people from USAID have been charged by the Justice Department with stealing money.… https://t.co/a6IyHi7mNI
He branded Khanna "Ro the Robber," and shared a graphic from an account called DogeDesigner claiming Khanna's household wealth had grown from roughly $27–46 million to an estimated $232.7 million, alleging 631 million dollars in total trade volume across 38,666 trades since he entered Congress.
“Robber” Khanna! https://t.co/YKfWaH4VmM
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2026
Who Is Ro Khanna?
Khanna, who represents a Silicon Valley district that includes Tesla's Fremont factory, has positioned himself as a leading critic of Musk and tech billionaires while building a national profile ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run.
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He has previously pushed a wealth tax targeting the ultra-rich and was among the lawmakers who forced the release of Epstein-related files, though that effort drew controversy after unrelated private citizens were misidentified.
Khanna Calls For A Debate
Rather than back down, Khanna posted a video directly challenging Musk: "Let's debate. You game? I am for free speech, not lawfare." He said he would not be intimidated, citing his record of standing up to "the Epstein class" and billionaires in his own district, and urged supporters to back a petition opposing Musk.
.@elonmusk let's debate. You game?
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) June 22, 2026
I am for free speech, not lawfare. pic.twitter.com/gThLggxiOW
He later expanded the challenge in an interview with CNBC, saying, "I challenge him to a debate ... do it on CNN, do it on CNBC, do it at a university, he can pick the setting and let's debate what happened at DOGE, let's debate why I'm for a wealth tax."
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Khanna also noted that Musk had previously been supportive of him, praising a book he wrote and his opposition to X censoring a story about Hunter Biden, before souring over the Lancet study citation.
The spat underscores deepening tension between Silicon Valley and Washington as Musk, newly minted as the world's first trillionaire following SpaceX's IPO, faces mounting scrutiny from progressive lawmakers over DOGE's legacy.
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