WASHINGTON — Representative Ro Khanna challenged Elon Musk to a televised debate concerning the effects of actions taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Khanna, a Democratic Representative, issued the challenge during an interview with CNBC on Monday.

Khanna stated that Musk needs to answer for potential deaths caused by the department's shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development. He cited a study published in The Lancet claiming cuts to USAID could cause the deaths of more than 4.5 million children. The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, effectively shuttered the agency last year.

Khanna proposed several settings for the debate, stating, "I challenge him to a debate ... 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."

Musk responded on the social media platform X, stating, "Time to sue this liar." He also posted, "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!!"

Khanna addressed Musk's comments, saying, "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."

Musk defended DOGE's actions, stating, "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."

Khanna has advocated for a proposal called the "Make Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share Act," which targets wealthy individuals with a direct 5% annual wealth tax on assets exceeding $1 billion. He noted that former supporters threatened to abandon him earlier this year after he embraced a wealth tax in California.