Democrat Ro Khanna Takes Swipe At Newsom, Says He’s Flooded With Constituent Complaints About Fraud

Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna is sharpening his criticism of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of taxpayer dollars, arguing that $72 billion in alleged fraud in the state’s budget is “outrageous and appalling.”

Khanna, a populist Democrat representing Silicon Valley, said he has been inundated by constituents concerned about “fraud, waste and abuse” in California’s state government. The California Democrat said he would launch a bipartisan effort from his perch on the House Oversight Committee to combat state-level fraud and would draft legislation that would independently audit the Golden State’s budget.

“There needs to be full accountability for the waste and new leadership in Sacramento,” Khanna wrote on X Saturday. “Taxpayers are owed an accounting of where every penny of their tax dollars are going –a detailed receipt.”

Newsom’s camp has accused Khanna of repeating Republican talking points by calling attention to wasteful spending in California. The duo are seen as contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary with Newsom carving out an early lead in recent polling.

“Interesting to see a Dem repeat the MAGA-made-up $72B number,” Izzy Gordon, communications director for Newsom, wrote on X in response to Newsom’s initial tweet. “That ‘fraud’ supposedly includes the $17B spent on high-speed rail — which has created 16,000 union jobs and built 50+ COMPLETED projects. Calling union work ‘fraud’ is certainly a choice.”