Ro Khanna

Rohit Khanna, U.S. Congressman

Rohit Khanna (born September 13, 1976) is an American academic, lawyer, and politician serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district, since 2017. He only accepts donations from individuals and is does not take campaign contributions from political action committees (PACs) or corporations.

Quotes

2018

• My bill would allow people to become an apprentice as a painter, as a glazier, as an electrician, to work for a small business, for a union doing private work, and really develop the skills to have meaningful work in either the public sector or the private sector.
  • Quoted in California congressman has a “jobs for all” plan to unite both wings of the Democratic Party, By A.P. Joyce, Mic (May 28, 2018)

• Bernie Sanders & I introduced the Bezos Act a month ago asking billion dollar companies to pay for their employees’ public benefits. We urged Mr. Bezos to raise wages to $15. The beltway economists crucified us. But Mr. Bezos listened. Today thousands of workers are better off.
  • Twitter post (October 2, 2018)

• Even when 1 in 8 Americans are still food insecure, the USDA wants to strip SNAP benefits from 755,000 Americans over the next few years. Instead of making it harder for people to put food on the table, we should be making sure that nobody goes hungry.
  • Twitter post (December 27. 2018)

• Note to Republicans: If we raised the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, and created jobs in the areas left behind, then Americans wouldn’t need nutritional assistance to feed their families.
  • Twitter post (December 27, 2018)

• Ending our support of Saudi Arabia isn’t about political gamesmanship. It’s about basic humanity. It’s about doing everything to stop the bombing in Yemen so we can get food and medicine to the hundreds of thousands of children who are at immediate risk of starving to death.
  • Twitter post (December 27, 2018)

• I’m sure you know that apps are collecting your location data but are you aware that they are also selling this information to third parties? We need an Internet Bill of Rights so people know where their data is being used and how it’s being stored.
  • Twitter post (December 28, 2018)

• Young activists like Greta Thunberg know that the climate crisis we face today was allowed to happen because corporations didn’t care enough about the health of our planet to place any roadblocks on their profits. We must give young people the reins and let them lead on climate.
  • Twitter post (December 28, 2018)

• Our demand for restraint in foreign policy must be stronger than defense contractor lobbyists. Our demand for criminal justice reform must be stronger than the prison-industrial complex.
  • Twitter post (December 28, 2018)

• Sarah Kliff spent the last year looking at over 1000 ER bills and has found outrageous facility fees, high costs for OTC drugs, and charges for simply sitting in the waiting room. Medicare for All would take these excess costs out of the equation...
  • Twitter post (December 28, 2018)

• Our demand for the Green New Deal must be stronger than fossil fuel lobbyists. Our demand for Medicare for All must be stronger than Big Pharma lobbyists. Our demand for Net Neutrality must be stronger than ISP lobbyists.
  • Twitter post (December 28, 2018)

• After the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, 20 states will raise their minimum wages. This could not have been done without the amazing work of local activists, unions, and the @FightFor15. In 2019, we are going to push for a $15/hour federal minimum wage.
  • Twitter post (December 30, 2018)

• When progressives remain silent and don’t talk about why the war in Syria is illegal, then into the void step in neocons like Lindsey Graham. Any wonder that our nation remains mired in endless war. Let’s have the guts to stand for responsible withdrawal.
  • Twitter post (December 30, 2018)

• Here’s something that the mainstream media has left out when talking about Trump’s plan to withdraw troops from Syria: Congress never authorized sending troops to Syria. In fact, the UN also never approved. Our troops in Syria are in violation of domestic and international law.
  • Twitter post (31 December 31, 2018)

2019

• To lead in the 21st century, America needs a foreign policy rooted in diplomacy and restraint. We should follow the words of John Quincy Adams, whose Independence Day speech from almost two centuries ago still rings true today. "...Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy..." Full text JQA speech
  • Twitter post (January 1, 2019)

• The federal minimum wage hasn't gone up in nine years, and in that time the real value has dropped more than a dollar. That's why I support a $15/hr minimum wage.
  • Twitter post (January 2, 2019)

• We are supporting Saudi Arabia while they inflict unthinkable human rights violations on the Yemeni people. Congress must do its job and stop providing military support and arm sales to the Saudi government.
  • Twitter post (January 2, 2019)

Quotes about Khanna

• One member of Congress is already laying the groundwork for a new consensus plan to give everyone a job... most notably, it does not rely solely on public-sector jobs to fill gaps in the market. Instead, Khanna’s plan is based on a program used in Germany that combines increased public-sector work with subsidized private-sector jobs to achieve full employment. Khanna’s plan would work by allowing businesses to take on up to 15 jobs subsidized by the federal government at 120% of the cost of labor and 150% for unionized jobs. The extra money would go toward additional costs for increased employment like training and workspaces.
  • A.P. Joyce California congressman has a “jobs for all” plan to unite both wings of the Democratic Party, Mic (May 28, 2018)