Overview
- Representative Ro Khanna publicly called for subpoenas and an investigation into Elon Musk’s role leading the Department of Government Efficiency after he said DOGE cuts may have put millions of lives at risk, remarks made on a podcast that gained wide attention.
- Elon Musk responded on X the next day by calling Khanna a “liar,” accusing USAID of corruption, and threatening legal action while defending DOGE’s rule that required aid recipients’ contact information to prevent fraud.
- Khanna cited a July 2025 peer‑reviewed study reported in The Lancet that estimated U.S. foreign aid reductions could be associated with up to 14 million preventable deaths by 2030, including roughly 4.5 million children under five.
- Coverage notes that DOGE’s cuts substantially reduced USAID operations, the Justice Department later secured guilty pleas in a USAID‑related bribery case, and a federal judge in May found some DOGE terminations unlawful.
- The dispute has become a partisan flashpoint that could lead to oversight only if Democrats regain committee control, and it has fed broader debates about Musk’s new trillionaire status and proposals for a wealth tax.