Elon Musk threatens to ‘sue’ Indian origin Ro Khanna after he links DOGE cuts to ‘deaths of millions of children’
A verbal spat between entrepreneur Elon Musk and Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has escalated after the lawmaker criticised cuts made to US foreign aid programmes
A verbal spat between entrepreneur Elon Musk and Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has escalated after the lawmaker criticised cuts made to US foreign aid programmes under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk responded strongly on social media, threatening legal action against Khanna and accusing him of spreading false information. Responding to a post about Khanna's remarks, Musk wrote on X, “Time to sue this liar.” The dispute began after Khanna appeared on the 'I've Had It' podcast, where he criticised DOGE's role in reducing funding linked to the former US Agency for International Development (USAID). Referring to a 2025 study published in The Lancet, Khanna argued that millions of people could die in low- and middle-income countries following cuts to international aid programmes. He said, "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 added, "He needs to answer for that.
He needs to be subpoenaed. He needs to face investigation. He needs to answer for what he did with DOGE. It’s not just ‘let’s move on.’" Musk defends DOGE actions Musk rejected the allegations and defended DOGE's efforts to review aid spending. In a post on X, he wrote, "The standard applied by DOGE was very simple and easy: Provide contact information for the recipients of aid, so that we can confirm it is not fraudulent." He continued, “The reality is that money was being sent to corrupt politicians under the guise of aid! Liars and stock insider traders like Ro the Robber should be in prison!!” In another post, Musk said, "Absolutely. This is a total lie. All DOGE did was require contact with the aid recipients to confirm that funds were being used legitimately. Anything less than this is insane!" The billionaire also pointed to a Justice Department case involving a former USAID official who pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges.
USAID, once the world's largest foreign aid agency, was shut down during President Donald Trump's second administration. Many of its remaining functions were later merged into the US State Department. Critics of the move have argued that the closure weakened global health and humanitarian programmes. Studies and reports published after the shutdown suggested that reductions in aid could contribute to higher deaths from infectious diseases, malnutrition and other preventable causes. Researchers have also noted that USAID-funded programmes played a significant role in tackling diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and polio over the past two decades. Khanna challenges Musk to a public debate As the online argument intensified, Khanna challenged Musk to debate the issue publicly. Speaking to CNBC, the congressman said, “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.” He added, "It’s not pleasant to have the world’s richest person with the biggest platform on X go say you should be in prison and that he’s going to sue you, and then I’m a liar." Khanna continued, “I’m taking on the richest person in the world, but I mean, I would hope that he would have an actual debate about it.” The clash reflects a broader political debate in the United States over wealth, taxation and government spending.
The BriefWire