Elon Musk has threatened legal action against Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna after the California lawmaker accused him of being responsible for the deaths of millions of children through spending cuts implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The row erupted after Khanna appeared on the I’ve Had It podcast and demanded future investigations into Musk once Democrats regain power. “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,'” Khanna said.

The Democrat congressman went even further, claiming Musk had “possibly sentenced to death” 4.5 million children around the world by helping dismantle parts of the U.S. foreign aid bureaucracy. “Once we take power, there needs to be accountability. There needs to be accountability for Elon Musk,” Khanna declared. “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.”

Musk responded furiously on X, sharing a report on Khanna’s comments and writing: “Time to sue this liar.”

He added: “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! Liars and stock insider traders like Ro the Robber should be in prison!!”

Musk’s campaign to slash government spending and audit federal programs uncovered vast sums of taxpayer money being funnelled into unaccountable programs. Last year, DOGE had terminated hundreds of federal contracts totaling over $4.7 billion, including funding for climate change initiatives in Peru and gender equity programs in Mexico. Khanna’s attack is particularly notable given that his congressional district includes Fremont, California, home to Tesla’s massive manufacturing facility and thousands of Musk employees.