Ro Khanna Challenges Elon Musk to Testify Over USAID Cuts

The conflict centers on a July 2025 Lancet study projecting that the cancellation of 83% of USAID programs could lead to 14 million deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under five. Musk, who previously boasted of feeding the agency into a "wood chipper," now claims that only fraudulent funding was halted and that legitimate medical aid was transferred to the State Department. However, an April 2025 analysis by KFF contradicts this, showing that approximately 80% of identified global health awards—covering polio, HIV, and malaria prevention—remain terminated.

Musk’s response to the criticism has been combative, labeling the congressman an "evil liar" and calling for his imprisonment. He further alleged that aid organizations refused his demand to personally interview the children they serve, citing this as evidence of graft. Khanna argues that such hostility is a diversionary tactic. He maintains that if the billionaire’s actions were truly transparent and harmless, he would submit himself to formal questioning rather than attempting to leverage his vast wealth to silence dissent through litigation.