Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) is turning up the heat on Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX (SPCX), over cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In a weekend interview on the I've Had It podcast, Khanna said Musk needs to be held accountable for dismantling USAID funding while serving as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during President Donald Trump's second term.
"There needs to be accountability for Elon Musk," Khanna said. He noted that people celebrate Musk for creating "4,400 millionaires" via SpaceX's IPO, but they ignore the "4.5 million children around the world who he [Musk] possibly sentenced to death by dismantling USAID." Khanna demanded that Musk be "subpoenaed" and "face investigation" for his actions at DOGE.
On Sunday, Khanna took to X to share a study claiming that DOGE, under Musk's leadership, had "unconstitutionally" cut USAID funding. The post included a link to the research, with Khanna writing: "Here is the study. DOGE, led by Elon, did this unconstitutionally."
Khanna also floated a wealth tax on Musk during the podcast, suggesting that a one-time 5% levy on the billionaire's fortune could fund universal child care in the U.S. "That's one person, one time, 5%, and he wouldn't even miss it because the market would grow by 15% and his wealth would still grow," Khanna said. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has also backed a wealth tax on Musk, arguing it could pay for child care for every four-year-old in the country.
Musk didn't take the criticism lying down. When a clip of Khanna's comments surfaced on X, Musk fired back: "He's such an evil liar." The trillionaire's response came as his net worth hit $1.3 trillion following SpaceX's blockbuster IPO earlier this month, making him richer than former Alphabet (GOOGL) CEO Larry Page.
Despite the political firestorm, Musk struck an optimistic note on the economy during a video appearance at an event hosted by influencer Peter Diamandis. He predicted the world economy could grow up to 10 times its current size in the next decade, barring another world war, calling it a "fairly comfortable" forecast.
The clash between Khanna and Musk highlights the growing tension over the role of billionaires in government and the impact of cost-cutting measures on foreign aid. With Musk's wealth soaring and his political influence expanding, the calls for accountability are unlikely to fade anytime soon.
