Elon Musk vowed to sue Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) on Monday after the congressman claimed that Department of Government Efficiency cuts for the U.S. Agency for International Development possibly endangered the lives of 4.5 million children in need of foreign aid.
“Time to sue this liar,” Musk posted on X, citing a New York Post article about Khanna’s comments.
Over the weekend, Khanna argued Musk should be investigated for his role in dismantling USAID as the symbolic head of the DOGE before his appointment as a special government employee expired at the end of May 2025. The investigation would only happen if Democrats regain control of the House or the Senate this fall.
“I do believe once we take power, there needs to be accountability,” Khanna said on the I’ve Had It podcast, hosted by progressive commentator Jennifer Welch. “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.”
The House Democrat took the figure from a July 2025 peer-reviewed study that says more than 14 million people, including 4.5 million children under 5, could die around the world by 2030 due to U.S. foreign aid cuts.
Khanna pointed to the study in a Monday post, telling Musk that “your USAID cuts did this.”
“He needs to answer for that,” Khanna added in the podcast interview. “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.’”
In a separate social media post, Musk disputed the congressman’s claim that the DOGE “sentenced” children to death through its cost-cutting efforts since President Donald Trump returned to office last year.
“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,” Musk wrote. “The reality is that money was being sent to corrupt politicians under the guise of aid!”
Notably, Musk called for Khanna’s arrest because he allegedly benefited from insider trading in Congress.
“Liars and stock insider traders like Ro the Robber should be in prison!!” the tech mogul said.
Musk again called the claim that the DOGE’s spending cuts accelerated the deaths of millions of children 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!” he said, citing a case in which a USAID official and three corporate executives were accused of a decadelong bribery scheme. “Multiple people from USAID have been charged by the Justice Department with stealing money. Moreover, they pled GUILTY!!”
The Washington Examiner contacted Khanna’s office for comment on Musk’s lawsuit threat.
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Musk has recently come under scrutiny by Democrats after he became the world’s first trillionaire, driven by SpaceX’s historic initial public offering earlier this month. Democratic lawmakers are calling for a wealth tax.
In March, Khanna and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced legislation that would require people with a net worth over $1 billion to pay a 5% annual wealth tax. The bill proposal listed Musk, the world’s richest man, as the foremost billionaire who would be subject to the tax if it ever becomes law.